


Fated

by EJamie



Category: The Originals (TV)
Genre: Erotica, F/M, Heavy Angst, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-09
Updated: 2016-05-27
Packaged: 2018-04-19 21:12:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 39
Words: 122,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4761182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EJamie/pseuds/EJamie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Klaus/Hayley fanfic primarily but there will be some Jackson/Hayley at times as well. An AU fic that follows the show in some ways and diverts in others.  I also play with timelines a bit as well which may be confusing so if you have any questions feel free to ask any time!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**A Vampire Walks Into A Bar**

_New York City_

She’d never felt like she belonged here. Her partner on the force, Darcy, called her an old soul. Hayley Marshall felt old. Not in years. The weight in her soul felt older than the passage of time. The things she had seen in her short life. Violence. Treachery. Grief. Dealing with it day by day seemed to weigh more heavily on her than the other new recruits. The chief had already talked to her once about her ability to handle being a cop in such a violent city.

She was a good cop. That wasn’t the issue Chief Kessler assured her and really, it was pretty standard for new recruits to take a few years adjusting to life outside of the academy and facing the reality of the job.

Maybe it was a remnant from her past that she just couldn’t shake. Abandoned by her parents, shuffled from foster home to foster home by people who just didn’t care. Once she hit eighteen, Hayley was free of the system and took a few years to decide what she wanted to do. She didn’t realize she’d wanted to be a cop until she’d walked into the academy.

Fighting for something good. Fighting for those who couldn’t fight for themselves. Fighting evil. It felt right. She’d had no one to fight for her. She would do whatever she could so that as many people as she could would know that she would fight to protect them the way she wished someone had protected her.

She turned into diner and pulled open the door, searching for the familiar heads of a few of her fellow cops, including the dark haired Darcy who shot up from her seat and whistled her over. “There’s my girl! The most bad ass cop on the NYPD!”

Hayley smiled and made her way over. Jesse, who had a few years experience on her stood and motioned for a waiter. Eddie, the veteran of their group with ten years experience raised his beer to her in salute. “For catching that stab-happy son of a bitch.”

“Never bring a knife to a gun fight, right?” Hayley tossed back, even as her cheeks flushed at his praise. Eddie wasn’t free with it so it always meant more when he did let her know he was proud of her. He was roughly twenty years older than her, the unofficial father figure to many of them.

“Did you see that idiot with the camera?” Darcy asked with obvious disgust. 

Hayley sighed. “Yeah. Imagine that’ll be all over the news tonight with every damned bleeding heart crying police brutality-”

“I punched the asshole,” Jesse grumbled. “I would have rather shot him. I call that growth.”

Hayley snorted. “Yes, you’re very mature. Never mind that the bastard was terrorizing the neighborhood. They were only hookers after all.” She took a long gulp from her beer. She spotted a movement out of the corner of her eye. A flash of black. Then blond.

“I see a commendation in your future,” Darcy beamed at Hayley.

A thrill moved through her but Hayley shook her head. “Yeah, right.”

Darcy looked over at Eddie who grinned at Hayley with twinkling grey eyes.

“What?” she asked, afraid to hope.

“I might have talked to the Sarge about talking to the mayor.”

“You did not!” Hayley gasped. “Holy shit. You did!” She threw her arms around Eddie and hugged him. “Next round’s on me!” She ran towards the bar.

“You’re broke!” Darcy called after her.

“Visa!” Hayley tossed back with a laugh. It felt so good to have something to be happy about. A monster was off the streets and she’d helped make that happen. She slammed her hand down on the bar to get the man behind the counter’s attention.

“A round of drinks for my fellow cops and I over there!” Hayley pointed to her friend’s table and pulled her wallet out of her purse.

“Celebrating?” A male voice asked beside her.

She turned the smile towards him and her breath caught in her throat. If his voice was smooth like the best scotch she’d ever had, his face was pure sin and caught her with a flare of heat right between her legs. Blond hair, blue eyes in a strong angled face softened by a full mouth that… Damn. Hayley cleared her throat and turned her face away so he wouldn’t see that heat manifest itself in a furious blush. “Yeah.”

“Please. Allow me.” He had an accent. British. Oh yeah. All polish and sophistication. She knew his type. What she didn’t know was what he was doing in here alone. He hardly seemed the type to have to pick up women.

While she was mulling his situation over, she didn’t notice the hundred dollar bill until it was sliding towards the bartender.

“Ah no,” Hayley stopped it. No way was she letting money bags pay for her drinks. That was probably his game, how he had women fawning all over him, those kinds that needed men to take care of them.

She was definitely not one of those. “Thanks but no thanks.” She slid the money back towards him.

“Please, I’d consider it my civic duty. My thanks to the NYPD for keeping the streets safe.” He slid it now towards her with a dimpled smile.

“With no ulterior motive, right?” Hayley said sarcastically.

His eyes roamed over her face with such hunger that Hayley couldn’t move for a second, held still by the unmistakable lust on his face. No. Not lust. Or at least not just lust…there was something else there. Something darker that scared her a little, but not in a way that made her want to run. It made her want to get closer. “No. I think my motives are quite clear, love.”

She shook her head, forcing herself to step back. Hayley pushed the money back towards him. “Sorry. Wrong girl.”

She could feel his eyes on her the whole time for the rest of the night but Hayley was determined to avoid looking at him again. There was something…off about him. Dangerous. Yet familiar. A very odd sense of familiarity. What was the word? Deja-vu? When you see something you remember yet know you’ve never seen before. It was an uncomfortable feeling and by the end of the night she was so distracted that her friends noticed and she decided she was going to confront him and tell him to back off.

But when she turned to storm back towards the bar to tell him off he was gone.

Hayley blinked in confusion. She swore she could still feel him in the room but the bar stool he’d been perched on was empty.

“The blond guy?” the bartender, a tall muscled guy, asked. “He left after you brushed him off.”

Two hours ago. Yet he’d been on her mind the whole time like an almost physical presence. Bastard.

Okay. So she needed to get laid apparently.

She’d never done the serious relationship thing. Her job didn’t really gel with the dating world. Most guys liked their girls soft and dainty to prop up their egos. Hayley could admit she was attractive but no one would ever call her dainty and she didn’t really have the patience for guys who constantly needed their egos massaged. And the ones she could think of being interested in never really stayed around anyway.

 Passing ships in the night was more than enough for her. Bang off the feeling and no pressure afterwards. Pleasant.

Hmm. Maybe she shouldn’t have discarded ‘Dimples’ so quickly. He would have been good, she thought as she walked down the street to her apartment. One night and then ‘see ya’. That look in his eyes though. The darkness there that was a huge ‘Danger’ sign to anyone with two brain cells to rub together.

Hayley took a deep breath. Her neighborhood smelled like smoke-both pot and cigarette- and greasy food and piss. But the people in it weren’t too bad. Mostly hard working immigrants struggling to better their lives but feeling forever displaced. Maybe that’s why she loved the neighborhood. She could relate. And the rent was cheap.

But it wasn’t the safest place, Hayley thought, reaching under her jacket for her gun when the hair on the back of her neck stood, a shiver going through her skin at the awareness that she was now being followed.

“Hey babe. How’s it going?” A slurred New York accent.

She turned around. She didn’t recognize him, and most importantly, he didn’t recognize her. Everyone in the neighborhood knew she was a cop. “Better than it is for you. Go sleep it off, okay?”

“Aw come on, baby. Don’t be like that. I just wanna be friends.”

“Sure. Look me up on Facebook,” Hayley said, continuing to walk but with a firm grip on her gun beneath her jacket.

“What’s your problem, eh? You a stuck up bitch too good for me, huh?”

He grabbed her arm and she turned and pulled his hand up and around his back while one foot hooked around his and dropped him onto the ground. Hayley pinned him down with her knee in the middle of his back. She pocketed her gun, deeming it unnecessary and instead pulled out her badge and propped it up to his eye level on the ground.

“Aw Christ,” the guy groaned.

“That’s right. Now I’ve had a good day so I’m going to go home, and have a nice evening with some popcorn and a movie and you’re going to go home and have a nice evening where you crash on your bed and sleep off the effects of some very bad decision making. Waking up in your own bed with a bitch of a hangover tomorrow instead of a jail cell will be my gift to you for the very good day that I’ve had. What do you think? Isn’t that a nice present?”

“Yeah, yeah sure!” He insisted desperately.

“Great. Some free advice as we part ways. Consider some more positive life choices okay? You’ll be better off for it, trust me.” She got up and left him on the ground and continued to make her way home. Looking up suddenly as a familiar throb started again in the center of her chest, Hayley’s breath caught when she spotted the guy from the bar standing out on a fourth floor balcony, looking down at her with a smile and that intense look of…what was that? Longing?

She didn’t realize she was smiling back softly at first. His smile almost looked proud and she cocked her head in question before breaking their gaze and shaking her head. She didn’t know what his deal was. When she looked up again, he was gone and a chill went through her that made her reach for her gun again and not let go until she was safely behind her door.

She dreamt of him. Sad blue eyes. A sinful mouth that did things to her she didn’t think she’d ever felt before. The dreams unsettled her as much as her nightmares did, though she had to admit, they were a lot more enjoyable. She’d take sex dreams over her usual dreams drenched in blood any day. Blood and screams and a baby’s cry that seemed to tear at the depths of her soul until she woke up sobbing.

“Bless me, Father for I have sinned. It has been one week since my last confession,” Hayley said in the tiny dark space.

“Yes, my child.”

That always made her smile. Father Andrew wasn’t that much older than she was. He’d come to Sacred Heart only two years ago but he’d already established himself as a favorite of the congregation. She liked coming to see him in this beautiful church even though she didn’t consider herself particularly religious though Andrew kept insisting she obviously was. Really, the ritual stuff was only always a preliminary until they got to the real stuff. It helped her to talk to him. Stuff she kept locked away. Her years at various foster homes, her sense of never belonging, her nightmares. He knew things about her that she’d never told another living soul.

After he gave his penance and absolution, they got down to it.

“There was this man last night. At a bar. I…felt like I knew him even though I’d never seen him before.”

“We often feel that way, a sense of familiarity, connection. Human’s are hard wired to look for it.”

Hayley shook her head. “No. This felt different. It was…” She struggled to give voice to the feelings inside of her when she figured the stranger’s face. “I felt like I knew him but just…couldn’t remember from where. There was this…pull…”

“Attraction?” Andrew asked with a wry smile. Yeah, he would tease her about that considering she kept all men at arm’s length.

“And…fear.”

He looked at her in concern, through the mesh screen. “Do you think he’s dangerous? A criminal?”

“Dangerous, yes. A criminal…with my luck, probably but yet…there was a sadness there too.”

“Well most criminals don’t become so because they’ve lived happy fulfilling lives,” Andrew pointed out.

“Good point,” she remarked with a wry snort. “I just can’t shake…I dreamt about him and it wasn’t like a dream it was…” She was glad the darkness kept him from seeing the sudden flush of heat in her face.  “It felt like a memory. Like I’d touched that blond hair before. I’d looked into those blue eyes.”

He stiffened beside her. “Blond, you said?”

Alert, she looked at him through the mesh screen. “Yeah. Why?”

“Just under six feet? Short hair. Lanky build. Brit-”

“British accent. Son of a bitch. Oooh! Shit. Sorry, Father. But what the hell? You know the guy?”

“I…” the priest hesitated.

Hayley understood his dilemma. “I won’t ask for particulars if he’s talking to you in here. I get it. But you’ve seen him here?”

“Yes. Hayley, listen to me. Stay away from him. He is a dangerous man. Tormented by demons that would make lesser men lose their sanity.”

“Yeah, ditto,” she reminded him dryly.

“No, not as you are, Hayley.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “What? Are you talking Linda Blair? Pea soup?”

If it was possible to hear a man roll his eyes… “Just steer clear of him all right. I’m thinking of your safety.”

“So he’s violent? You know if he’s done anything you’re legally obligated to-”

“No, he would never harm you.” He was silent for a moment, then his voice was so low she almost didn’t hear him. “So that’s what he meant then. He meant you. Poor soul.”

“Well that’s not cryptic at all.”

He shook himself as if from a stupor. “Nothing. He’s not a danger to you. Just deeply disturbed and I already said more than I should without betraying my vows so please don’t ask me anything more.”

“Okay. Okay. Fine.” She should have felt relieved that she’d been warned away from him. Dimples sounded messy as hell and if it wasn’t one thing she didn’t need in her life it was ‘messy.’

Hayley told herself to put the stranger out of her mind but even at the end of her day at work he remained there on the edge of her thoughts.

She was getting ready to take a shower when there was a knock on the door. Tightening the satin sash on her robe she looked through the peep hole and nearly jumped in shock as the blond stranger stood waiting on the other side. Her eyes went to the drawer containing her gun. She pulled it out just to make herself feel better because she was too curious not to open the damn door. When she opened the door, he smiled at her. The sweetest smile that warmed her heart even as it sent a hot burst of lust shimmering through her entire body.

 _I know you_ a small voice beat like a heart through her blood.

His voice was a caress over her skin, almost like a physical touch. “Hello, love. Can I come in?”


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

It’s Not You. It’s Me. Really.

Hayley stared at him. “How did you-” She should grab her gun. Panic and curiosity and yes, damn it, lust warred with in her.

“I saw that man bothering you out on the street. I wanted to make sure you were all right.”

“And so you saw that I didn’t need anyone to make sure I was all right, right?” Hayley tossed back, making him smile.

“Quite right. Still, my honour as a gentleman would not allow me to walk away from a lady in distress.”

The corner of her mouth quirked before she could stop it at his formal speech. She supposed it was a British thing. “Are we still talking about me?”

“Can I come in?” he asked again, his eyes holding hers.

“As you can see I was getting ready for bed, not to mention you’re a stranger who’s apparently stalking me.”

“And yet you do want to invite me in,” he smiled.

She wanted to roll her eyes, but the truth of his words wouldn’t let her. “I don’t even know your name.”

“Niklaus,” he said slowly. “But I’m called Klaus.”

Hayley stared at him. She didn’t know a single soul with that exotic of a name, yet a whisper of something moved across the back of her mind. “Have we…Have I seen you somewhere before?”

Something lit in his eyes, and awareness that told her she’d hit a nerve.

“No,” he lied and she knew it was a lie though she couldn’t say how she knew.

“Come in.” She moved aside to let him in and shivered a little as his male scent filled her. A hot throb moved between her legs and she closed her eyes to compose herself. He was only a few inches taller than she was but it felt as if he towered over her, so imposing was his presence. He wore a grey shirt and black jeans. His bearing suggested more formal wear so to have him in such casual clothes was…damn sexy. “So… Klaus, is it?”

At his nod she moved to her kitchen. “Beer? Or something fancier? Scotch? Or are you a martini guy? Shaken and not stirred and all that, Bond?”

He smiled at her. “A beer is fine.”

He looked around her apartment. It was a box. Sure, but she liked to think she made it homey. There weren’t too many knick knacks because she never really felt settled enough to gather stuff like that around her. She kept a few photos of her friends and fellow cops in some simple frames and a really pretty throw on her couch that was awesome to curl up in and watch movies but that was pretty much the extent of her decorating abilities.

“So what’s your deal, Dimples?” She handed him the beer and pointed to the couch.

It occurred to her then that she was still only clad in her robe. She wasn’t about to go change though and leave him alone to rob her or do who knew what since he certainly didn’t seem hard up for cash.

“My deal?” Klaus asked with a cocked eyebrow.

“It’s an ego thing, right? The challenge of a girl who brushed you off?”

He took a long gulp from his beer and she watched his throat muscles work. “I admit you do intrigue me and I’d like to get to know you better.”

“Why? I’m hardly your type,” she pointed out.

“Really? How do you know?”

She snorted. “I’m guessing the women you’re used to probably have a whole wing of their penthouse suites dedicated just to their shoes where as I have one pair of heels I hardly ever wear if I can get away with it and one pair of leather boots. Period. Total.”

“You’re beautiful. Smart. Strong. But yes, a shoe collection is the defining factor when I’m deciding to take a woman to bed.”

Hayley choked on her beer and his smile widened. He’d obviously said it for shock value but she could see in his eyes the intent was there. “You’re not taking me to bed, Dimples.”

“Why of course I am,” he insisted, leaning back on the couch. His voice was so light and teasing though that she couldn’t help but laugh even as she was horrified at his conceit. “But I have never forced my attentions on any woman, I assure you. I will take you to bed because you want me to.”

“Why? Because you have a British accent?”

“And dimples. You did mention dimples,” he grinned boyishly at her looking suddenly younger than his…roughly late twenties/early thirties, Hayley guessed.

She burst out laughing. Oh she had to admit he was fun. And hot. Why not, she thought. They were both adults.

He’s dangerous. Recalling Andrew’s words she paused.

“How do you know Father Andrew over at Sacred Heart?”

He blinked at the change of subject. “Well that was an interesting diversion. I’m impressed.”

Hayley met his gaze and waited.

“I’m afraid it’s not very shocking. He’s a good man. He was there when I needed an ear. I imagine I know him the same way others do.”

“You hardly seem like the religious type.”

“We all need someone to talk to on occasion, regardless of doctrine.”

“Hmm. He warned me about you, you know.”

“And yet here I am,” Klaus said, his eyes meeting hers.

“I like to make up my own mind about people and like I told you, I can take care of myself.”

“Ah yes, you certainly can, sweet Hayley.”

She played with her bottle. “I shouldn’t even bother asking how you know my name, right? You seem like a resourceful guy.”

“I asked about you. Just as you asked your Father Andrew about me.”

She tried to stifle a smile. “Point made.”

“Admit it. You’re glad I came to see you.” He leaned closer to her and set his beer down on her coffee table.

“I could, but it’s more fun to make you work for it,” she replied, her eyes lit with challenge. She tried not to shiver as his warm breath moved over her face. Beer and something sweet.

His hand went to her face, his fingers brushing her skin and trailing down to her mouth. His thumb went to her lower lip and she opened her mouth. She focused on his mouth, so close to hers and the desire to kiss that mouth was like a wild thing churning inside of her. She was trem…no…they were trembling. It somehow made it easier to bear to know he was so similarly affected. All polish and sophistication washed away revealing a trembling need that seemed to grip them both.

Logic. Danger. None of it mattered. Hayley closed the distance between them and met his mouth with her own, catching his groan into her mouth.

His hand went instantly into her hair, tightening it and holding her head still as his mouth moved over hers with passionate greed. His teeth scraped the soft flesh, his tongue slid and claimed hers and Hayley felt as if she’d been hit by lightning and was burning from the inside out. She should have been embarrassed at the soft whimpering sounds coming from her but she was too mindless with want to care. God. She’d been kissed before but this…this was different. This was like a match set to something she hadn’t known was dormant inside of her. It was terrifying, exhilarating and oh God, she wanted more. She was practically on his lap, all pretense of control lost. His hand cupped the side of her face, his fingers digging in to her cheek as his breath came rough and fast against her skin. She needed him. Now. And Hayley could feel the hard evidence against her hip that he needed her just as badly.

His hand went to her hip, gripping her as if to pull her onto his lap and then Hayley remembered no more.

She woke with a start in her bed. For a disoriented moment she stared up at the ceiling, tracing the patterns of light and shadow coming through her window. Desire and confusion throbbed through her body. Had it been a dream? She registered the fact that she still wore her robe. She never slept in her robe. Hayley took a quick mental inventory of her body. Her lips felt tender but…no, there was no evidence that she’d had sex last night. She looked around her bedroom. “Klaus?” Saying his name out loud made her insides clench with want. Had she dreamt his appearance at her door last night? The thought depressed her though she didn’t want to poke too much at that realization. Hayley went back into her living room and stopped. There they were. Two beer bottles resting on the coffee table. A ridiculous thrill shook her. He had been here! There was a small note resting against one the bottles.

I’m not that kind of boy,

Klaus

Hayley burst out laughing and picked up the bottles to dispose of them. She wondered why he’d stopped them. It wasn’t like she wasn’t willing. But maybe it wasn’t a good idea if he really was as dangerous as Father Andrew had said. She supposed she should feel grateful they hadn’t had sex then. She paused on her way to the kitchen and sniffed the bottles. How had she blacked out like that? There’s no way she would have been kissing someone and just fallen asleep in his arms. She remembered nothing. One minute she’d been experience the most intense kiss of her life and then, boom. Nada. She didn’t know what to feel. Her instincts were all over the place. Telling her not to trust him, to trust him, to fear him, not to fear him. He knocked her out…if he had actually, to what end? She did a thorough sweep of her apartment and finally concluded that it hadn’t been to rob her.

The disconcerting feeling stayed with her for the next few days. She tried to track him down. She asked questions at the bar. Nothing. She needed answers. Father Andrew said yes, he had seen him, but no he didn’t know where Klaus lived. He warned her again away from him.

She wanted to see Klaus again. More than she wanted answers to her questions and it pissed her off.

She tried to focus on her job. Distractions were deadly. She was at the station when they got the call that there was a robbery in progress at a bank. Jesse was there and offered himself up in a hostage exchange. Eddie and she and Darcy were going in as back up along with a few cops from other precincts close by.

Darcy was in a panic though she tried not to show it. Hayley knew she and Jesse had a thing going though they denied it because the Chief wouldn’t like it. There were rules against fraternization.

They were trying to find a way in when Hayley and her fellow cops arrived. A rolled out map was laid on the back of one of the cop cars as Hayley listened to the negotiator doing his job.

One person had been knocked unconscious, apparently during an attempt to jump the robber but everyone inside was relatively unharmed as far as they knew.

They were gonna attempt another way into the bank and Eddie found it through a back basement window.

Hayley was glad for the adrenaline rush that helped drown out any other thought but getting the hostages out. She climbed in through the window. Eddie and Darcy followed her. If they weren’t able to disarm him they were to take a shot at him.

The robber was a heavy set man with a buzz cut. Hayley’s grip tightened on her gun and she narrowed her focus to make sure her aim would hit true. A hostage saw her and gasped. Hayley nearly swore when the robber whirled around and saw her but at least Jesse used the distraction to jump on the guy so that when the guy fired in her direction, he missed. Or that’s what Hayley’s logical brain told her because a hand gripped her arm and jerked her to the side. The bullet whizzing past her ear was enough to stop her heart in horror for a split second.

The whole, life passing before your eyes thing was true. Or, she guessed it was true…except it wasn’t her life she saw. It couldn’t be.…even though she was in the scene. It was her and Klaus (What The Fuck?) and she held a baby in her arms. Klaus was pinned and bleeding against what looked like a church wall and she was…on an altar? And then the image was gone and so was whomever had grabbed her. Eddie was pushing past her to subdue the chaos as Jesse and the robber fought. Hayley struggled to reason that of course it had been Eddie who’d pulled her from the path of the bullet except he’d been on her opposite side. There had been…and still was no one on the side from which she’d been grabbed. As soon as Eddie got the chance he got a clear shot at the robber and fired into the man’s arm so he lost his grip on the gun and howled in pain. Jesse grabbed the guy’s head and knocked him unconscious. Behind her, Hayley spotted an unmistakable blond head disappearing out of the building. Klaus. She forced herself to concentrate on getting the hostages out as Jesse cuffed the robber and the paramedics came in to help the hostage that had been injured. No deaths. It was over. There may have been one. Herself if it hadn’t been for Klaus. Shaken, Hayley took a seat on the curb as organized frenzy went on around her and rested her forehead on her knees for a moment. There would be a crap ton of paperwork to do later but she just needed a second to breathe and try and gather control over her shaking nerves.

“Hey, you okay?” Darcy asked touching her back.

Hayley exhaled. “Yeah. That was just a little close back there.” She got to her feet. “Shit, the press is headed over here. Let’s move somewhere else.” They moved towards the row of police cars.

It was a late night and she knew she should go home after wrapping up the last of the paperwork but her nerves were all over the place and she needed to talk to Father Andrew to hopefully calm her down. It would be worth it just to sit in the church. She wasn’t as religious as others she knew but she loved the rituals of it, finding a strange sort of comfort in them and the building itself with its beautiful paintings and décor made her feel peaceful. There was only one other person, a man kneeling in the back row.

She made her way to the first pew and sat down. She started to feel better. All the events of the day, the questions swirling around in her brain seemed to dim and settle.

There was a sudden change in the air and Hayley stiffened. The air seemed…charged somehow and her heart seemed to pound harder and thicker in chest. It wasn’t an unpleasant sensation nor a frightening one. So when Klaus took a seat next to her, she wasn’t surprised. Her body seemed to have an instant physical reaction to him. She supposed that bit was scary.

“I’m surprised you’re not wearing a cape,” Hayley remarked dryly, looking ahead at the altar.

He chuckled next to her and Hayley turned to look at him. God, he was too good looking for her sanity. “How did you do it?”

He looked at her and smiled devilishly.

“Don’t say ‘do what’. Please. Otherwise I’ll be forced to make a dumb blond joke,” Hayley warned.

“Did it ever occur to you to perhaps pursue a career where bullets aren't flying at you?”

Hayley narrowed her eyes at his refusal to answer her question. “As opposed to living off daddy’s trust fund like you?”

“Ah you misjudge me, love. I happen to be independently wealthy.”

“Oh even better. Ill-gotten gains and all that, I bet. Should I put you on my precinct’s radar?”

“I think the NYPD’s resources are sorely needed elsewhere. They’d find me quite dull.”

That made her burst out laughing. The sound boomed loudly through the quiet church and Hayley jumped, looking around guiltily. The man in the back didn’t seem to notice. “Come on, Klaus. Tell me how you did it-”

“Do that again,” he urged. His eyes lit with a sudden need that left her breathless.

“What?” she asked, her mouth dry.

“Say my name,” he insisted.

She cleared her throat. “Stop. We’re in a church and stop dodging the question. That bullet was not going to miss. I should be dead right now but you came out of nowhere and jerked me out of the way with a speed that no human be-” She stared at him, an uncomfortable thought pricking at her brain. No, that was ridiculous. She was shaken up and her mind was still playing tricks on her. Of course he was human. He sure as hell felt human when he kissed her last night…which brought her to her next question.

“Did you drug me last night?”

He cocked his head. “Drug you? Why on earth would I do such a thing?”

“Oh I don’t know, you tell me. One minute you’re all over me the next minute I wake up in my bed and you’re gone.”

“I thought you’d appreciate my not taking advantage of our attraction while we were still getting to know each other.”

Hayley snorted. “I’m a big girl. If I thought you were taking advantage, you’d be in the hospital right now missing your downstairs brain.”

That made him laugh and that smile, so genuine, so different from the ones he’d shown her thus far did something to her heart that frightened her a little. There was no charm in that smile, no flirtation, no agenda. It was as if he was lit from within. Most of the time he seemed so…sad. The word shocked her but she decided it was right. He laid it on thick like some suave romeo but there was such sadness in his eyes, to see that sadness lift for this brief moment, Hayley couldn’t breathe for how beautiful he looked to her in that second. She had a feeling he didn’t genuinely smile like that often. “But seriously. It’s not like I was fighting you off. We’re both adults. Having you disappear like that. You could give a weaker girl a complex, buddy.”

“I assure you, lack of interest was not my motivation for leaving,” Klaus said.

“Okay, so then what? I didn’t drink enough to pass out.”

Klaus raised an eyebrow. “Yet pass out you did.”

Hayley rolled her eyes. “In the middle of kissing you, right. Look, tell me you don’t want to tell me, but don’t come up with some bull shit story that you know I won’t believe.”

“Very well. It’s safer if I don’t tell you.”

Hayley blinked in confusion. “Clear as mud.”

“You wanted honesty, Hayley. There you have it.”

“Oh no, you can’t think I’m just gonna leave it at-”

“Well my my, isn’t this interesting?”

Hayley noticed the man in the back pew was now standing at the end of theirs smirking down at them.

He was tall with similar blue eyes and blond hair to Klaus but while Klaus certainly had a dangerous air about him that should send all her alarm bells going off, this man radiated an evil that frightened her in a way Klaus simply did not.

Though the way Klaus shot up out of the pew did make Hayley jump in her seat. “What are you doing here?” His voice was harder and filled with more anger than she’d ever heard him use.

“Please, let me offer my congratulations on your romantic reunion. I was always rooting for you two crazy kids to work things out.”

Hayley stared at him in confusion. “What are you talking about? Who the hell are you?”

The man looked at her and then at Klaus and then he seemed to understand something while Hayley was still in the dark. He burst out laughing in Klaus’s face. “Oh she has no idea does she? Oh you’re more clever than I gave you credit for, boy. It’s so utterly brilliant.”

“I should have killed you when I had the chance,” Klaus growled.

“Ah yes, but like everything you ever attempt, you were an abysmal failure at that too.”

A well of rage and protectiveness rose up in Hayley so strongly in that second that she automatically went for her gun and pointed it at the stranger. “You leave him the hell alone, you bastard.”

“No, my dear. You have that wrong. He’s the bastard, the mistake, the unwanted living proof that his mother was a whore but I don’t imagine he’s seen fit to enlighten you about that now has he?” He grinned. A sick malicious curving of the lips that sent a chill down Hayley’s spine. “After all this time, for him to find you again, what more fitting punishment than destroy you right before his eyes.”

She only saw a flash of what looked like a stake and then Klaus’s scream. She was thrown to the ground and only realized what had happened when Klaus crumpled next to her, the stake lodged in his chest.

Hayley froze, panic and horror stealing her breath. Her entire world narrowed to this one point, the potential loss of this stranger she didn’t know who had somehow gotten under her skin.

“Well, I suppose that will have to do for now.” the man said above her. “Trust me, darling. If you remembered who he was, you would thank me.”


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

**Sexual Healing**

 

 

She didn’t even register his walking away. Klaus was laying in front of her, his eyes closed, his body so still it frightened her.

“Hayley?” Father Andrew came running towards them. “Oh dear God. Mikael found him.”

“He stabbed him with…that!” Hayley cried pointing to the thick piece of carved wood sticking from Klaus’s chest. “I don’t know if I can take it out and not…God!” She dug into her jacket for her phone and pulled it out.

The priest immediately grabbed it from her. “No, Hayley! No!”

She stared up at him. “He needs an ambulance! You don’t want to let him die, do you? He can’t die!” She screamed, a part of her outside herself observed that it was a strange thing to be so panicked over the loss of a man she didn’t know.

Father Andrew crouched down next to her. “He’s not going to die. We won’t let that happen. Now help me get him to the rectory. We can lay him down on my bed and figure out how to help him.”

She was so afraid to move him. What if that thing shifted inside of him and pierced his heart? If it hadn’t already… _No. Please no._

A flash of something moved through her brain. He was laying on a different floor, having been similarly stabbed and his eyes were drifting closed as they locked on her and she was screaming at him to fight, to stay with her, to not leave her as she crawled to get to him, her own body battered and bruised.

_“Don’t you leave Hope!”_

Who?

She blinked and the image was gone. She was shaking too hard to even attempt to figure out what was happening to her mind. 

“He’s breathing. See? His chest is rising. If we take that thing out of him he might bleed to death,” Father Andrew said, running a hand through his hair as he paced.

“Well, doing nothing is not an option so either let me call an ambulance or find the bastard who did this-” Hayley stopped suddenly and stared at the priest. “Wait, you said the guy’s name. The guy who did this. Mikael. Father, what hell is going on here? What do you know?”

Father Andrew stepped back guiltily.

“No,” Hayley pointed at him. “I don’t care about your vows you are gonna tell me what the-” She screamed when Klaus suddenly lifted his arm and pulled the stake out of his chest with a groan and then doubled over in obvious agony before passing out. “What the hell was that?”

“Quickly. We need to stop the bleeding and close up the wound before infection…or is that even a worry for-” He cut himself off quickly and pushed past Hayley, moving her off the bed as he went to work taking off Klaus’s black leather jacket and tearing his grey shirt open.

His chest was a mess. Hayley couldn’t even allow herself to appreciate it what it must look like in its healthy state because the flesh was shredded around a gaping hole and she was trying too hard not to vomit.

The priest worked quickly and Hayley helped him as much as she could but it was clear that the man she had thought as a peaceful, non-violent member of the clergy had an extensive knowledge of how to deal with wounds. She herself had basic training on how to deal with bullet wounds and stabbings until medical help arrived along with basic first aid but nothing like what the priest was doing so efficiently.

All along, beating though her mind like the pounding of her heart were the words _pleasedon’tdiepleasedon’tdiepleasedon’tdie_

Both she and the priest were sweating when Andrew finally eased back. “Now he needs time to heal.”

“And now I need answers. Father, come on,” Hayley urged, lifting her hair off the back of her neck.

“Hayley,” Klaus groaned reaching for her arm.

She was at his side instantly. “Don’t talk, okay? You just got skewered and nobody’s letting me call an ambulance.”

“No, don’t. Just…stay. Don’t leave.”

“I won’t,” she assured him. She didn’t know how she was going to explain not going into work tomorrow or how she was supposed to handle what happened tonight from a legal perspective but Klaus needed her to stay, nothing else mattered. What was this pull that this man had over her in just over a week? She didn’t believe in love at first sight…She wasn’t sure she believed in love at all, at least not for her. All she knew was when that Mikael guy was standing over them, she had no other thought but to stop him from hurting Klaus.

She sat back down and he closed his eyes, slipping into unconsciousness again.

Father Andrew had used the opportunity to escape the room to evade her questions but Hayley could wait until another opportunity to make him answer her.

He drifted in and out of consciousness throughout the night, murmuring nonsensical things about destroying everyone and how everyone had betrayed him. Then there was that name. Hope. It made a lump stick in Hayley’s throat. Jealousy? He spoke of this Hope with such love. He was the only one who could protect her. On and on it went.

She came awake in the middle of the night, wrapped in a blanket sitting on the chair, a pillow beneath her head on the arm rest. Andrew had offered his couch in the living room for her but Hayley didn’t want to leave Klaus in case he woke up. She checked his wound and gasped at how it was practically healed.  “What the hell?” she whispered. There was still some reddening and discoloration and the wound wasn’t completely sealed yet but…”What are you?” she asked softly, a frisson of fear moving through her because this kind of healing was in no way a human possibility.

When she looked at his, his eyes were open and he was looking at her with such… no man ever looked at her like that. It overwhelmed her so that she had to take a step back but his hand shot out and gripped hers to keep her where she was. He wouldn’t let go.

“You’re going to be okay,” she assured him trying to disengage her wrist. The feel of his skin against hers was playing havoc with her body, sending every nerve ending downward between her thighs.

“Listen to me. You need to leave. Get as far away from me as you can. I should have never have looked for you. It’s too dangerous. Leave, Hayley, before he comes back.”

She sat on the edge of the bed and shook her head. “There is so much wrong with those words I don’t even know where to start. You asked me not to leave you. So I’m not. You’re too weak for me to even ask you what you mean by looking for me so let’s just skip past that for now. As for it being too dangerous, you do remember what I do for a living, right? Besides, you’re the one that got shish-ka-bobbed. You’re being ridiculously evasive and keeping on hold how much it’s starting to piss me off until you get better, I want you to answer me one question. Just one. Okay?”

He looked warily at her and she knew if he chose to, whatever answer he gave her could be a lie if he decided to keep his secrets.

“Who was that man who stabbed you and why does he want to kill you?”

A wry grin. “That’s two questions but I’ll answer both. Mikael is my father or…well…the man I thought was my father and he wasn’t trying to kill me. At least not this time. He was trying to kill you because he wanted to hurt me.”

“Your fa- Christ…How could any father…” Hayley shook her head and covered her mouth. Really, it wasn’t as if she hadn’t often seen the cruelty parents could inflict on their children in her line of work but to deliberately try to kill your own child... “Why would hurting me mean anything to your father? I’m nothing to him and up until a little over a week ago you and I didn’t even know each other. Which…Klaus, why would you do that? Step in front of me like that…”

He looked at her for a long time. “That’s a lot more than two questions, love. I would tell you to go home but, you’re not safe alone now that he knows where you are.”

“Would you stop, okay? I can take care of myself. Seriously. I’ve been taking care of myself since I was a child. I’m a cop. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of any kind of threat.”

“Not this kind, damn it!” He barked startling her, then groaned in obvious pain.

She pushed him back down against the pillow. “Okay, you’re going to calm down and we’re done talking for now because if you get all caveman I’m going to have to punch you and that goes against my moral code to never hurt an invalid.”

That made him chuckle even as the effort to try and get up proved to be too much and within seconds he was under again. When he was safely asleep, Hayley allowed herself to drift off as well.

When she woke up again Klaus was fully dressed and slowly moving around, struggling to stay upright.

“What the hell?” Hayley whispered. “Get back into bed and take your clothes off! You’re not going anywhere!” She placed a hand on his stomach, careful not to touch his wound.

“I need to get out of here. I need to disappear so that Mikael doesn’t come after you-” He lost his footing as they moved back and they both fell onto the bed with Hayley on top of him.

Neither one of them moved. She felt like an actual physical charge moved through both of them as unmistakable lust moved across Klaus’s face and she felt his body respond instantly beneath her, making her own body respond. His hand went into her hair and with a groan he pulled her head down to meet his mouth in a kiss that felt like her insides were dropped into vat of hot electricity. All sense flew out the window and it was like her most basic animal self took over. She pressed her hips down, feeling him hard and thick against her. She rocked her hips and he growled in her mouth, his tongue meeting hers as they breathed hot and fast against each other. His fingers tightened in her hair and he flipped them both over so that he was now on top. Hayley dug her fingers into shoulders wanting this insanity to go on and on. He bore down, grinding into her, making her curse the layers of fabric between them. His mouth went to her neck and she felt his tongue there, licking, nipping with his teeth to just the edge of pain before stopping and repeating it again and again. She whimpered, pulling at his shirt wanting to touch bare skin. His flesh was scorching beneath hers and she swore she could hear the blood rushing through his veins.

A prick of confusion needled at her when her hands moved up his chest and she encountered smooth skin. Completely smooth, healed skin. She forced herself to push at him. “Wait. Wait. How…Klaus, stop…How…”

He stopped above her, his eyes lit with a hunger that made her want to throw all her questions out the window.

“Shh,” he murmured and stroked her face eyes locking on hers. In the next instant nothing mattered because with one hand he pinned her wrists over her head and his other hand undid the button of her jeans and with impressive dexterity pulled the zipper down and slid his fingers inside and past the fabric of her panties until he met damp, hot skin. Hayley gasped and arched beneath him.

“Oh God…” she moaned while his fingers stroked her. She wanted more. She wanted _him_ inside of her. “Klaus…” she whispered urgently, looking into his eyes. She tugged at his grip on her hands, wanting to touch him, to reciprocate what he was doing to her but he wouldn’t let her.

“Shh, love. It’s all right.” Then he kissed her again and eased two fingers inside of her, thrusting only once before she came with a cry against his mouth and inadvertently bit his lower lip.

The tiniest metallic tang filled her mouth and she pulled away in surprise and horror that she had hurt him. In the growing dawn she saw it, the smear of blood on his lips and the points of two of his teeth that looked almost like… _Holy fuck._

_“Do you hate me for it?” he asked. They were sitting in room…a nursery and there was a soft warm weight in her arms. She looked down. A baby. Tears rolled down Hayley’s cheeks. Tears of joy, of gratitude. She clutched the baby close and buried her face in the baby’s neck._

_“I’ve hated you for so much. But this…no. You did what you had to do to find our daughter. I would have asked you to transition me if I’d been conscious to do it if there was any chance it would help us find her, so no, I don’t hate you for this.” She took his hand and squeezed it._

The images faded and she stared up at him. “Who are you and what is happening to me? Why do I keep seeing these things in my head that make no sense?”

He closed his eyes and a shudder went through him as he eased off of her.

She straightened her clothes, too frightened to feel self-conscious about what they had just done. She lifted her hands to his shirt and lifted it. He closed a hand over hers to stop her. Hayley looked at him and held his gaze steady and waiting for him to move his hand.

Resigned, he did and she lifted his shirt to bare his chest. There was no sign that he’d been wounded at all.

“How is this possible?”

“It’s too dangerous for you to know.” After what they had just shared, it felt like a slap in the face to have him close himself off to her.

She glared at him. “Fuck you,” she snapped getting off the bed.

“Hayley-”

She zipped up her jeans and looked around for her purse and jacket. When was she ever going to learn? Guys only wanted their piece of ass and nothing else. She supposed she should be grateful things hadn’t got that far. “I’m glad you’re going to be okay. Really, but you can take your secrets and choke on them. Let me just tell you, I’m going to find that son of a bitch Mikael and lock his psycho ass up the first chance I get.”

Klaus scrambled off the bed. “No! Hayley, you will stay away from him!”

She whirled around resisted the urge to punch him. “Just so we’re straight. You sticking your hand down my pants does not give you the right to tell me what to do. I have a job to do and I’m going to do it. Since you’ve decided to keep on with this Mystery Man bullshit, you can go straight to hell and let me do my job or so help me, Dimples, I will toss your ass in the cell right next to Daddy’s!” She slammed the door in his face and tried to blink back tears of humiliation as she made her way out of the rectory to her car. Seriously. When would she ever fucking learn!


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

**Pierce The Veil**

There was going to be a medal ceremony for those involved in the capture of the man who’d terrorized the city, murdering at least six women. There was suspicion that there were probably more. Darcy had insisted she and Hayley go shopping for new dresses for the party that was to follow. Hayley decided on a silver satin number with a slit up the side mid-thigh that made her feel sexy and feminine which she didn’t have the opportunity nor inclination to feel often thanks to her job. Buying a second pair of heels, silver ones made her think of Klaus and she scowled. She had tried to put him from her mind after the horrible (not-so-horrible) night in the church.

She swore she could feel him around though, watching her, out of sight. Mikael seemed to have disappeared as well. No matter how hard she looked, there was no sign of the man. She was pissed at Father Andrew too. He hadn’t seemed surprised in the least that Klaus had healed so quickly.

“You’re not trying to tell me he’s some bionic thing that works for the government, are you?”

He snorted at that and simply said. “If only.”

He wouldn’t elaborate. It felt like some god damn conspiracy between everybody to keep her in the fucking dark and she hated it.

She was determined to get Klaus out of her mind. Maybe she’d find some tall, dark haired, brown eyed guy who didn’t have sad eyes at the party and use him to help her in that endeavor.

Hayley pinned her hair up to go under uniform hat, but Darcy insisted she had to have it down for the party. She almost argued with her but then she remembered the feel of Klaus’s hands in her hair and a shiver moved through her. Damn him.

She swore she saw him at the ceremony in the audience as she was given her medal. There were larger, taller, more imposing men but he stood out, his commanding presence drowning out anyone else but him to her gaze. He wore a black suit and hadn’t shaved so he looked especially devastating but then she blinked and he was gone so Hayley wondered if she had imagined him.

She danced and drank just enough to make everything bright and happy and keep the confusion and loneliness away. She was dancing with Eddie when an unmistakable British voice broke in.

“Can I cut in, mate?”

She blinked in surprise. “Dimples-I mean, Klaus?” Hayley corrected quickly, embarrassed as Eddie cocked an eyebrow. He looked to her and she wanted to tell Klaus to go to hell but…his hands on her had felt really awesome, her slightly inebriated brain reasoned. She nodded and Eddie let her go. “What are you doing here?” She asked when Klaus pulled her into his arms. She almost sighed, feeling him against her but managed to stop herself.

“You don’t think I’d miss such a joyous occasion, do you?”

“I didn’t think you’d care…I mean…I didn’t think of you at all. That’s what I meant to say.” Hayley insisted as he pulled her closer.

“Hmm. Well, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you,” Klaus whispered in her ear, sending a hot bolt of desire straight between her legs.

 “Stop that. I hate you, remember?”

He laughed. “No you don’t. You’re mad at me. There’s a difference.”

“Ah, there’s also a difference between being shot between the right leg or the left one but both hurt like a bitch.”

He grinned at her. “Lucky for me you’re not wearing a gun.”

“One well placed knee though…” she countered.

His thumb moved along her cheek, sending heat blooming beneath his touch. “You are still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Flattery? You think that’s going to get you out of this? Until you’re ready to answer my questions, I want you to leave me alone.”

He ran a thumb along her lower lip. “No you don’t.”

She tried not to shiver. “Stop it. People are staring.” Darcy definitely seemed interested in what was going on with her. Hayley turned them both away from her friend.

“I should have left you alone,” Klaus said, his eyes roaming over her. “I know seeing you puts you in danger but I can’t help myself. You’ve got me utterly undone, Hayley. You always have.”

She tried to push past the heat of his words to the ‘danger’ part. “How, damn it, Klaus. How am I in danger? Help me out here. If there’s some kind of danger I don’t know about, tell me so I can help. I feel like I’m losing my mind. I get these images of things that don’t make sense. I look at you and I feel…”

“What?” He asked, his eyes on hers.

“Everything. It’s like…I don’t know what to feel because everything is slamming me at the same time.”

“Let me take you home,” Klaus said.

“I thought you didn’t want to take advantage of me. I’m clearly drunk,” Hayley pointed out even as her body was screaming YES, this was what she wanted.

He smiled at her and something happened inside of her. Something shifted and cleared. The haze of alcohol suddenly lifted and she wasn’t drunk anymore.

Her mouth fell open. “How the hell-”

Klaus’s hands moved up and down her waist. “Hayley, let me take you home.”

Need, hot and heavy pumped through her blood and her knees nearly buckled. Stronger than her questions and misgivings was the need to feel this man inside of her. He made sure that the decision would be hers though and that she would make it stone cold sober.

Slowly, she nodded. She left a very curious Darcy at the party and she didn’t remember actually driving home but in the next instant, Klaus had Hayley pushed up against her door after they got inside.  

 She pulled the suit jacket he wore off his shoulders and dug her nails into tight lean muscles as he hoisted her up by her hips and pinned her against the door before carrying her towards her bed. Thanks to the slit in the dress she was able to wrap her legs around his waist without ripping the fabric. _Well, isn’t that handy,_ a distant part of her remarked dryly. Klaus’s hands then went under her dress as he set her on the mattress on her knees and she couldn’t think of anything else but the trail of fire left on her nerves by his fingers on her skin. His mouth moved over hers, teasing, demanding and Hayley surrendered, demanded as well with each lick of her tongue along his, of sucking his lower lip into her mouth, remembering the taste of breaking skin, blood. _Oh God._ Her core throbbed and grew slick just thinking about that moment, mixed in with what was happening now. Christ, what was wrong with her? She’d never been into pain in her sexual pleasure but right now she wanted him to take her, to mark her, bite her and make her bleed, scar her so she would see his mark on her later when he was gone.

As he unzipped the back of her dress and peeled away all her clothes until she was naked beneath him, Hayley slid her fingers into his hair to try and anchor herself, to control the wild yearnings inside of her. She slid her hands down to his chest, undoing the buttons and exposing bare skin. His skin was so warm and inviting she wanted to nuzzle up against him sweetly like a cat, both wild and sweet desires warred inside of her. As he shrugged out of shirt, bare chested she took a moment to just run her hands over him before tugging at his pants and working with him to remove the rest of his clothes. Not a mark on him. His body was perfect. Lean muscle that spoke of undeniable power. He could break her in two if he so desired, but he didn’t. He moved his hands over her with a gentleness that made her eyes burn.

“Beautiful” he murmured, cupping her breasts, sliding his hands along her ribs, down her waist to cup her between her legs.

Hayley let out a moan and he parted her with his fingers, stroking slowly, making her hips buck greedily for more. “Klaus…Please…”

“Ah, do not worry, Little Wolf. Soon, sweet heart.”

The endearment pricked at the back of her mind. It sounded familiar and he must have seen the question on her face because he kissed her then, hard and all thought flew from her mind as he thrust a long finger inside of her, making her whimper into his mouth. She dug her nails into his back and sighed as he moved his finger inside of her, making her belly coil with tension and clutch her muscles around his finger. He broke their kiss just long enough to ask about protection.

As she helped him roll it onto his shaft, a beat of relief went through her and she cursed her earlier ridiculousness. Of course he was human. Who else would be worried about things like pregnancy or disease than a human? _Geez, Hayley, you sure let your imagination go a little nuts there._

She squirmed beneath him as his fingers drove her to a fever pitch. “Please…Klaus….Now…” she hated the begging breathless quality in her voice but her body was so ready for him.

His eyes met hers as he rose above her, lowering his forehead to hers, the question there in his eyes. _Are you sure?_

Mr Suave Sophistication would shut this whole thing down if she wanted. That made a warmth spread through her chest. She touched his face. _Oh Dimples. I could fall hard for you._ She nodded. She shivered as he eased into her. Hayley caught her breath as her orgasm slammed into her before he was even fully inside of her. She wrapped her legs tight around his hips and cried out when every inch of him was fully embedded inside of her. Then the images came. Hard and fast, filling her mind as he filled her body so she couldn’t concentrate enough on any one thing. Klaus moved deep and hard, driving into her again and again, murmuring her name as pictures she didn’t understand filled her mind.

The two of them like this on a table.

Klaus, bloodied and battered bursting into a church.

Hayley with another man with dark wild hair and kind brown eyes.

Her in a wedding dress.

Holding a baby.

Hayley as a young girl looking up Klaus as he was bound to something.

A young Hayley curled up on Klaus’s lap, her wrist bleeding against his bleeding wrist, wrapped and bound together. _“There, Little Wolf. Nothing can hurt you now because we’re bonded so I’ll always protect you.”_

Yes, that’s what this felt like. This connection to this stranger. It felt like she was bound to him. She couldn’t focus on any one thing as he played havoc with her senses, his body bringing her to the brink and over again and again as if now that he was finally inside of her he would take his fill until neither one of them could bear it.

Their bodies were slick with sweat as they moved together. Hayley slid her fingers along the muscles of his back, feeling them bunch and twist beneath her hands. His mouth was heaven against her skin, against her mouth and Hayley only wanted more, more, more. She reached back and gripped the brass bars of her head board as he moved harder, deeper, spreading her open, taking her with a single minded determination now to make her come again.

His eyes glittered so darkly blue as to be almost black as they met hers and he smiled and wrapped his hands around hers, giving him the leverage to thrust harder.

“Oh God!” she cried out as one last orgasm tore through her with explosive ferocity.

 His face tightened and she felt him swell thicker inside of her, bringing an almost painful last shimmer of pleasure through her as he growled her name with a possessive cry and came in rush of heat inside of her.

Overwhelmed, his body went boneless on top of her and for a few seconds he was crushing her but she didn’t have the energy to protest.

“Oh God…Oh God…” she murmured over and over again, running her fingers through his damp hair.

He groaned and she winced as he pulled out of her and made some attempt at cleaning up before he fell back on the mattress and wrapped himself around her again.

“Klaus…” Her voice cracked as she spoke. “We need to talk about what just happened.” She was referring specifically to the images she’d seen, not the sex. She had no regrets about that. It had been too perfect.

Nothing.

When she looked up at his face, she realized he was sleeping and she was too amused to be mad about it. She’d worn him out, she though thought smugly. “Yeah, me too,” she whispered and let herself drift off in his arms.

Hayley was awakened while the room was still dark by the ringing of her phone. She blinked, struggling to see. She remembered then that her phone was in her purse and not on her night table where she usually kept it because her purse had hit the floor as soon as Klaus grabbed her. She disentangled herself from his arms and made her way into the living room, grabbing Klaus’s shirt off the floor and slipping it on.

Father Andrew’s name appeared on her screen and she noticed at the same time that it was three fifty a.m. A knot of apprehension tightened in her chest.

“Father?”

“Hayley…” His voice sounded choked as if he were struggling to breathe.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Come…church…quickly.”

She ran back into her bedroom and flipped the light on, going into her closet immediately for her jeans.

Klaus stirred and woke up.

“I’m on my way. Tell me what happened. Are you all right?” He did not sound all right.

“Hurry, Hayley.” And then she heard a clatter as if he’d dropped the phone.

Klaus was instantly by her side as she took his shirt off and handed it to him, pulling a blue t-shirt over her own head.

“What happened?”

“Father Andrew’s hurt.” She rushed to the church calling for an ambulance and back up despite Klaus’s protestations and stopped at the sight that greeted her. Father Andrew was laying on the altar steps and there was blood everywhere.

“Oh God,” she whispered before running towards him.

His throat was torn open as was his chest.

“Andrew…Oh God. What happened?” Hayley asked, panic filling her at the paleness of his face.

“Hayley.” He grabbed for her hand.

“Who did this?” she asked.

Andrew looked at Klaus. “Mikael. He came back and when I wouldn’t tell him where you were…He said this…is message.”

Hayley closed her eyes, fury gripping her. “Listen, okay? Don’t talk any more. Save your strength. There’s help on the way.”

He gave her a sad smile and squeezed her hand.

“No!” she pleaded. “Don’t you dare give up! Just hang on until the ambulance gets here.”

“Too late, sweetheart. Listen to me. Go with Klaus. Run. Trust him.”

She blinked back her tears. “Oh come on, Father. You spent all this time telling to stay away from Klaus. Make up your mind,” she said, trying to make him smile.

“Trying to stop…inevitable.” He squeezed her hand. “A gift to know you, Hayley. So strong. So good.”

“Stop, please,” she begged, tears rolling down her face. “Stop saying goodbye. You can’t leave me. You can’t leave us. So many people need you. They depend on you.”

Andrew shook his head. “No choice about it.”

Klaus leaned down then and whispered something in the priest’s ear that Hayley couldn’t hear.

Father Andrew looked at him for a long time but slowly shook his head.

“Are you sure?” Klaus said.

He nodded. “But don’t leave me like this. I can’t…bear…hurts too much. Want something from you first.” He motioned Klaus back down.

Hayley stopped Klaus with a hand on his shoulder. “Stop this. Stop hiding things from me, damn it! Not now.”

“Hayley,” Father Andrew urged. “Let him go.”

Frustrated, Hayley lifted her hand and watched as Andrew whispered something in Klaus’s ear.

Klaus pulled back. “You know I can’t do that.”

“You must. It’s the only way to protect her.”

“This is clearly about me. Someone better start talking or I’m gonna fucking shoot somebody.”

Father Andrew lifted his hand. “I vote for me. Considering.”

Hayley stared at him and burst out laughing through her tears which then dissolved into sobs and she dropped her head on his shoulder. “Please don’t die. Please…” She felt him wrap an arm around her. Next to the people she worked with, he was her closest friend.

“It’s all right, Hayley. I’ll watch over you. Promise. One last thing, okay? When he tells you everything, when you find out who he is, try to forgive him, okay? Trust him.”

Then above her head, she heard him whisper, “Do it now.”

Hayley heard the unmistakable sound of a snapped neck and sobbed harder, knowing her friend was gone.

The story would be that an unknown attacker had come upon the priest while trying to rob the church and killed him.

After giving their statements, Klaus insisted on taking Hayley back home, assuring Darcy that he would take care of her.  She heard Darcy ask her to make sure and call her as soon as she could. Hayley thought she nodded. She wasn’t sure. She felt numb. Klaus set her down on the couch and she heard him fiddling around her kitchen. He reappeared a few minutes later with a cup of tea. She cupped the mug, letting the heat attempt to soothe her. How very British.

“Drink. It will make you feel better,” Klaus urged.

“No,” she sighed, closing her eyes. “It won’t.” But she drank anyway. She had emptied the mug halfway before she spoke again. “Right. Let’s get down to it then.” She set the mug down on her coffee table. “What did Andrew want you to tell me?”

Klaus looked away from her. “Hayley, leave it alone.”

She glared at him. “I repeat, Klaus, what did my friend, Andrew, with his dying breath, want you to tell me.”

“The priest doesn’t understand the gravity of the situation-”

Hayley slapped his face, anger welling up inside of her. _Good. Let the anger in. The rage. Let it block out all the grief and sadness._ “With his insides torn to shreds? He didn’t understand? How fucking dare you?”

Klaus closed his eyes and lowered his head. “What happened to Father Andrew was truly horrible and I swear to you I will make Mikael pay for-”

“Oh no,” Hayley snapped, getting to her feet. “Mikael is mine. I’ll be the one to take that son of a bitch down for what he did.”

Klaus stood and gripped her arms. “You are not to go near him. Do you think that’s what Andrew would want? No. He wanted you to run. He wanted you to be safe.”

“With you,” Hayley hissed, narrowing her eyes at him. “A guy who thinks it’s okay to keep me in the damn dark about everything. Screw you, Klaus!” She stopped then and looked at him. “That night in the bar, was that even just a coincidence? Just two strangers meeting in some random bar?”

Guilt flickered over his gaze.

“Of course not, right?” Hayley said. She stormed to her desk and pulled out her gun. She pointed it at him. “You’re going to give me answers, you son of a bitch. Now!”

He looked at her now like he was dealing with a petulant child and that look made her want to pull the trigger. Badly. How had things gone from so perfect with the best sex of her life in this man’s arms to wanting to put a bullet through his head in a matter of hours?

“Hayley, put the gun down.”

“Start talking.”

He stepped forward until the barrel of the gun was pressed against his chest. “Go ahead, Hayley. Getting shot certainly won’t be pleasant, but a bullet is no threat to me.”

 Her hands shook as she felt her worst fears being confirmed. “What do you mean?”

He met her gaze. “You know exactly what I mean.”

“Stop it. Stop playing games with me, okay. Whatever this is? You’re better at it than I am. Fine. But damn it…” Tears filled her eyes and she dropped the gun. “A good man died today. My friend died today so if there is any fucking decency in you at all, just stop.”

“Hayley, I am so sorry for your loss, but what you’re asking of me is impossible because it puts you in danger and I cannot allow that to happen. You lost your friend today.” He gripped her arms. “But letting you into my world, showing you who and what I am would destroy you and put everyone else you love in danger.”

She shoved at him. “You fucking coward. I don’t care what may or may not happen, I will deal with whatever happens and you can bet your ass that not one more person will die if I have anything to say about it. Andrew asked me to forgive whatever the hell it is that you’ve done.”

Klaus looked surprised at that.

“Yeah, that’s right!” Hayley snapped. “So judging by how you’re fighting me so hard on this it must have been pretty shitty and you’re just too much of a God damned coward to face it. All this crap about protecting me. No. You just don’t want me to know what you did and _that_ cowardice is why my friend is dead. You killed him just as surely as if had been the one to rip him open!” Hayley screamed striking at him, scratching, kicking as he tried to control her arms. “It’s all your fault, you bastard!” 

 “Stop, Hayley! Stop this!” Klaus demanded, but Hayley kept trying to strike him. It felt so much better than allowing her grief to consumer her. In her anger, she felt powerful.

“No!” she screamed, landing a punch against his nose, blood spurted from his nose and he cringed but grabbed her head.

“Look at me then, damn you!” He shouted in her face. “LOOK and remember!”

He held her still as Hayley looked into his eyes, a heaviness and buzzing filled her ears and an agonizing pain shot through her head that made her crumple to the ground. He followed her down but didn’t release his grip as the images came faster than she could bear. Images, feelings, a life lived that was absolutely foreign to her even as she knew it was hers. The veil was lifted. _Hope._ Oh God. _Hope!_

She looked at him in horror and love, slamming into her all at once as the woman she lived her life as slipped away and the woman she truly was regained herself again. “You bastard,” she whispered, staring at him. “You horrific, monstrous bastard.”

She remembered everything. 


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

**A Single Soul Dwelling In Two Bodies**

_1,000 Years Ago_

“The Labonair child slept beneath your window again.”

Andrea came awake at the male voice and squinted against the sun. She slept too late. Mother and Father would be very mad if they didn’t find her in her bed. She grabbed the blanket and struggled to her feet, but her leg still hurt from when Father hit her with the switch and it gave out beneath her. “Oh!” She cried out with a whimper, falling to the ground.

“Hello out there,” a blond head popped out the window, smiling at her.

Andrea gasped and pulled the blanket over her head.

“Oh well, quite effective. You’re invisible now.”

A slight tug on the blanket and he pulled the blanket off her head. “Now then, Little Wolf, wouldn’t you be more comfortable in your own bed than the hard ground?” he asked.

“No. It’s scary there. Mother and Father get mad sometimes and yell a lot. I make them mad.”

A shadow of sadness crossed over the man’s face. Andrea hoped he wouldn’t get mad at her. His name was Niklaus and she thought he was the most bravest warrior she’d ever known and so kind too. She liked to pretend when she slept beneath his window that he was protecting her from all the bad things.

His brother, Elijah appeared around the side of the house. She scrambled to her feet, trying to ignore the pain in her leg. “Please don’t be mad. I won’t come back. I promise.” She tried to run away but her limp slowed her down and he caught her in two strides.

“Oh it’s all right, child. No one is going to hurt you. Come inside. Are you hungry?”

Her stomach grumbled. “A little bit, but they’ll be mad if I’m not at home.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll make sure it’s all right. Come.” Elijah placed a hand on her back and guided her inside.

“Hello, love. Come. Sit and have some bread. Mother and Rebekah should be back soon with some milk and berries.” Niklaus pulled up a chair for her and picked her up and set her on it.

She grimaced when her hurt leg hit the leg of the chair.

“What happened, hmm?” He took her leg in his hand and ran a thumb over the broken skin on her shin

She gasped and instinctively tried to pull her leg back.

“Sorry, love. How did this happen, then?”

She bit her lip and shrugged. If she told them Father did it because she tried to reach for the extra biscuit on his plate, her parents might hit her again for telling on them.

He scowled and looked very fierce as he looked up and met his brother Elijah’s gaze over her head. Sometimes when she was crying because Mother or Father hit her, she imagined Niklaus coming and slaying both of them and saving her. But then she felt very very sorry because they were her parents and she loved them even if they didn’t like her at all. Sometimes they were nice to her and Mother would tell her stories but then she would do something that would upset them and they would punish her.

Niklaus reached into a bowl with water and dipped a cloth in it and dabbed gently at her leg with it as Elijah handed her a piece of bread with blueberry jam. The water smelled sweet and she wondered what was in it because it didn’t hurt too badly. Niklaus was being very nice and kind as she knew he would be. Anytime she saw him in the village, playing fighting games with the other men, he was always very merciful and wouldn’t hurt them too badly when he won. Sometimes, she wished Niklaus was her father. Andrea knew he would never hurt her.

“All better, Little Wolf?”

She nodded. “Thank you very much.”

He smiled at her.

“Is that the Labonair child?” Niklaus’s mother asked coming in carrying two jugs followed by her daughter Rebekah.

“Yes, Mother. She wandered away from her home and got lost, making her way here,” Elijah lied. Andrea thought he was very nice too.

Niklaus looked at her and winked. She smiled at him, liking the idea of them sharing secret confidences like friends did. He was a grown up, but maybe he’d like to be her friend.

“Hello, little one,” Rebekah handed her a few strawberries. “Would you like some milk too?” She reached behind her for a cup. “Andrea is your name, is it not?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

 “Well, then. Let’s eat up and then Niklaus here can take you home, yes? I’m sure your parents are worried sick about you,” Niklaus’s mother, Andrea thought her name was Esther said, cupping Andrea’s chin.

Andrea tried not to sigh. She wished she could stay here with them and not go home where she knew her parents would be waiting, angry. Much too soon, Niklaus was carrying her down the road back to her home.

“You should put me down. I’m five years old now. I’m too big to be carried around like a baby.”

“Too big? Hardly that, Little Wolf,” Niklaus said with a laugh. “Why it’s like carrying around a bag of feathers.”

She smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. “Mother says I’m not a baby anymore so she won’t carry me.”

“Ah,” he said and maybe she imagined it but it felt like he squeezed her tighter.

“I’m sorry I was hiding under your window,” she said after a little while.

“Why were you?”

“Well, you’re the bravest man I know so I thought when I’m scared, if I could be close to you then I wouldn’t be scared anymore ‘cause you would protect me.”

He snorted at that. “Me. Brave. Sure.” He said it in a way as if he didn’t believe her. He turned off the road then and led her towards the forest.

“Where are we going? This isn’t the right way,” Andrea pointed out.

“I want to show you somewhere very special.”

There was a small clearing in the forest that dipped leading to a series of caves.

“Oh my!” Andrea exclaimed. “Is this your secret place? It looks like magic.”

“It is my secret place. I come here whenever I feel scared or sad-”

“Oh I’m sure you never ever feel scared!”

Niklaus laughed at that, but it wasn’t a nice laugh. He sounded sad. Andrea didn’t know you could do that, laugh but be sad at the same time. “I’ll share this place with you, Little Wolf. Can you build a fire?”

Andrea nodded proudly. “Father taught me. He said even though I wasn’t a boy like he wanted, he thought I should learn how to build a fire ‘cause I’ll have to cook for my husband.”

“Husband? A bit early for that, I’d think,” Niklaus said, setting her on the ground. “Didn’t you say you were only five?”

“Well yes, silly but we’re wolves, remember? It’s already late and I should have been bonded at birth but the family Father wants to bond me to has only had girls so far. Ooooh does he get mad about that. Father doesn’t think girls count for nothing. Other families have tried to bond with me but Father always says no cause he wants to bond me to the alpha pack. He saved the alpha’s life one time so the alpha agreed when he had a son that he would be my mate.”

“I can understand that. If I had a little treasure like you I would only want the very best for her.”

Andrea beamed at that. “I think you’re the very best. If you were a wolf, I’d want to be bonded to you.”

He touched his chest. “Ah, then ‘tis a sad fate indeed that I am merely a man.”

Andrea agreed with that. She looked around the cave, noticing a blanket and a few books. “Do you come here a lot?”

“I do. Now, let’s make a pact, shall we? I’ll let you share my secret lair here but you must promise that it will remain a secret. Then if anything scary happens, you come get me right away.” He lifted his hand.

“Oh I promise! I won’t tell anybody in the whole world about this place!” She took his hand, then rushed forward and hugged him tightly, feeling him stroke her hair after a moment.

“Now let’s get you home.”

A few months later, she was at the market with her Mother when she overheard her gossiping with the seamstress. One of the humans had been killed by one of the wolves during last night’s full moon.

“One of the Mikaelson boys. So sad but maybe now they’ll finally leave.”

Andrea gasped and her eyes filled with tears as her little body began to tremble in fear. One of the boys. Which one? Niklaus? Elijah? Or the younger one, Henrick? _Oh please, not Niklaus,_ she begged silently. As soon as they got home, Andrea broke away and ran to the Mikaelson home where she could hear Esther crying and overheard Rebekah say that Niklaus had run off.

Andrea knew instantly where he was. They spent many days in the cave where Niklaus was teaching her how to read even though her Father said girls weren’t supposed to learn and he taught her how to fish at the river too. She hadn’t caught a fish yet but he assured her she was doing really well.

She found him curled up deep in the cave, sobbing, his body shaking. Andrea stayed in the mouth of the cave, her heart pounding so hard in her chest it hurt because she’d been running so fast. She’d never seen him cry before even if he did sometimes look really sad. She walked towards him and kneeled down next to him. She touched his head gently stroking his hair. “I’m so sorry your brother died,” she said.

He didn’t say anything, just turned around and laid his head on her lap and cried harder. She sat, frightened but trying to remember how kind he always her to when she cried, how he stroked her hair and held her until she felt better. A few times, he even came to her house and warned her father and mother to stop beating her. She thought that got him in trouble though because the next day she would see bruises on her face and cuts and wonder if maybe Mikael got mad at him for trying to help her. She didn’t like Mikael very much. He scared her and she caught him sometimes being really mean to Niklaus, even meaner than her father was to her!

After a few minutes, Niklaus stopped crying, just shuddering a few times. “It was all my fault,” he finally said. “I should have said no, but I wanted to see them too.”

Andrea swallowed. “The seamstress at the market said it was the wolves.”

“Henrick wanted to watch them turn. I’d already seen them once. I should have never told him about it. How thrilling it was to see. He wanted to see for himself.”

“But nothing happened to you, so maybe you thought nothing bad was gonna happen to him too. It’s not your fault, Niklaus. Really. Please don’t cry anymore.” She wiped her own cheeks so he couldn’t tell that watching him cry was making her cry too. She leaned down and kissed his cheek, patting it. “Don’t cry anymore. It was the wolves fault. Not yours.”

“No, Father was right. I killed him. I killed him because I took him when I knew how dangerous it was.”

“But you weren’t thinking it was gonna be dangerous. Only fun. You wanted to be nice and have fun with your brother. I think that’s what big brothers are supposed to do. I don’t have any though.” She shivered. “The wolves shouldn’t hurt the humans. That was really bad but I don’t think they can help it when they change. Like the doggies when they get hungry and hunt cute rabbits. I don’t think they think about that, right? They just know they’re hungry. I hope I don’t ever change. I like being the me I am now but I promise that if I do change, I won’t eat any humans cause it’s really sad for the people that love them. I especially promise I won’t eat you,” Andrea vowed.

Niklaus looked up at her and then sat up, continuing to stare at her, his cheeks damp. His lips quirked upward and he gave a soft chuckle before pulling her into his arms. “You are a very special little girl, Andrea Labonair.”

She saw him again a few nights later. She’d had a bad dream and went running towards the cave in the middle of the night so she could be around Niklaus’s books and the blanket that smelled like him and always made her feel safe. She heard a noise coming from the river. Squealing. Curious, she followed the sound until she came upon someone bent over the water. Niklaus. She must have called out his name because he turned and Andrea jerked back so fast she fell down.

“Andrea…go away!” he growled at her. His mouth was all dark and wet in the night…It look like blood.

“What are you doing?” she asked, shaking.

He moved towards her on his knees but then stopped and lowered his head. “GO AWAY!” he screamed.

She jumped and ran behind a tree. “What’s wrong, Niklaus? Are you hurt? Are you bleeding?”

“Please, child. Please…you must stay away from me. I don’t want to hurt you, but…I can’t control…”

She watched as he grabbed a squirrel that darted across him with lightening quick speed and brought it to his mouth. She let out a scream and ran back home.

The word spread quickly throughout the village. After the death of young Henrick, Esther conjured up a spell that would turn her children immortal, saving them from ever suffering a similar fate. Rumour were they were vampires now. The wolves were afraid and a few thought it was time to plan an attack before the Mikaelsons killed them all. The alpha wouldn’t give the order yet, he decreed that no one was do anything until he told them to.

Remembering how frightening Niklaus was by the river, Andrea cried, thinking she had lost her best friend forever now that he was a monster and her people’s enemy. 


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

**Through A Glass Darkly**

It was only two days before one of the Mikaelsons came and killed four of the wolves. Andrea didn’t know which one of them had done it. She hoped it wasn’t Niklaus. The alpha decided it was time to act. He wouldn’t declare war yet. He would try to reason with them, tell them they needed to leave.

Andrea returned to the cave a few weeks later. She missed it. She hoped Niklaus wasn’t there even though she missed him a lot too. He scared her and her parents would really be mad at her because the Mikaelsons were their enemies now.

It was night time. She heard groaning as she came closer to the river and saw who she thought was Mikael storming away from the river.

“Father! Don’t leave me here! I’ll die!”

Andrea ran towards Niklaus’s voice. Suddenly she wasn’t scared. Niklaus was in trouble.

She stopped, horrified at what she saw. Niklaus had a sword in his shoulder and was pinned to the tree, blood staining his shirt. “Did your Father do that to you? Why?”

“Andrea, sweetheart, you need to leave.”

“No! You’re hurt. I’m gonna take out the knife but…I can’t reach it. Wait here. Oh…” She lifted a hand to her mouth. “Right. You can’t go anywhere, huh? I’ll be right back.” She ran to the cave and grabbed the stack of books, running back to Niklaus she climbed on the books until she could reach his shoulder and get a good grip on the handle.

The first time she tried, she lost her grip and fell backwards, the jostling of the blade made Niklaus groan in pain. She whimpered. “I’m not strong enough to take it out. I’m going to run and get Elijah!”

“No! You can’t. The sun…It’s almost dawn.”

Andrea shook her head. “So? Oh because you’re vampires now, right? Oh no…I’m gonna try again.” After three tries and Niklaus crying out in more pain with each try, Andrea began to cry.

“It’s all right, love. It’s all right. Just go all right? Leave me here.”

“What about your mother? She’ll help!”

Niklaus shook his head helplessly. “My father won’t let her…and he might stop you from returning.”

“Your father is so horrible!” Andrea burst out sobbing.

He grimaced as a sliver of light began to move through the leaves and Andrea didn’t think she’d ever felt so scared in her whole life. Was Niklaus gonna burn all up if she didn’t get him free? Even seeing him that night by the river wasn’t as scary as him maybe burning all up.

“I’m gonna do it. I swear!” she promised. She closed her eyes and gave one last pull that sent her tumbling backwards with the sword handle smacking her in the head as it came free. “Ow!” She rubbed her head but crawled back to Niklaus who had crumpled to the ground. She bet he hurt even worse. “Come on to the cave. We can hide you there till night time.” She tried to help him but he was too heavy and ended up mostly crawling to the cave. Andrea helped him lie down and went back to grab the books for him before covering him with the blanket.

“There. You’ll be all right now. I’ll go get some food for you and bring it back as quick as I can.”

 “Andrea!” He called out, breathlessly.

She stopped and turned to face him.

“Thank you for your kindness.”

She smiled. “You’re my very best friend. I don’t care if you’re an evil bloodsucker.”

He’d taught her to hunt small things. She didn’t like to do it and it made her feel less like a baby to know that he didn’t like to hunt either but he said that he learned it was something that needed to be done to ensure one didn’t go hungry. She apologized to the poor rabbit before killing it and bringing it to Niklaus. Andrea started to build a fire. She looked from the animal to Niklaus and watched him looking at it hungrily.

“Um…do you need to…uh…drink first?” She bit her lip.

His eyes met hers, sad and desperate and looking very ashamed.

She lowered her head and focused on building the fire so she wouldn’t have to see him do it. She tried not to show how the sounds he was making scared her, but when he touched her shoulder, Andrea couldn’t help the scream that escaped her.

“You should go. I’ll be all right, love.”

Andrea shook her head. “You’re still hurt. You need help. It’s not your fault what your mother did to you. I’m…I’m not scared of you,” she lied and he gave her a small smile that said he knew she was lying.

“Well I am frightened. Frightened of hurting you, sweetheart. Go.”

Andrea bit her lip and lifted her chin. “You’re my friend. Friends don’t leave their friends along when they’re hurt. That’s not nice.”

“Andrea…please…your blood is…calling to me and I fear I won’t be able to control this and it will kill me if I harm you. Please…as my friend, help me not to hurt you. Go, for my sake. I beg you and…” He shuddered and his eyes glistened. “Don’t come back.”

Andrea’s heart dropped into her stomach and her eyes filled with tears. “You…don’t want to be my friend anymore?”

He sniffled and his eyes looked cold and mean now. “No. No I don’t. So go away and stay gone.”

“But…”

“GO damn you! Get out of my sight!” He yelled.

Andrea’s face crumpled and she ran out of the cave feeling as if she had no one left in the world who loved her anymore.

The day after the most recent full moon brought with it the horrific news that one of the Mikaelson boys had transitioned into a wolf after killing one of the wolves. That didn’t make any sense to Andrea because they were vampires, not werewolves. She overhead a friend of her mother’s say the word hybrid, which meant he was now both vampire and werewolf.

It was Niklaus. He was a hybrid. “If he’s a wolf, maybe that means I can be bonded with him, right, Mother?” Andrea offered as she sat at the table, finishing the last of her milk. Maybe then Niklaus would want to be her friend again.

Her mother slapped her so hard Andrea went tumbling off the chair to the floor.

“As if I would let that abomination near my daughter, stupid girl! No, you will be bonded to the alpha family and be grateful for the honour.”

It seemed that fate had other plans as that night the alpha and his daughters were killed, with his mate and her mother escaping the slaughter and vanishing into the night. The villagers banded together and declared war on the Mikaelsons for killing six more of their people. Two of them were Andrea’s parents. It had been pure luck that Andrea had suffered a nightmare and gone to the cave despite Niklaus not being her friend anymore. She still felt safer there, knowing he was near than anywhere else. He wasn’t there so she figured he maybe wouldn’t mind.

When she went back the next morning, her mother’s friend came running up to her and scooped her up with a cry of relief that she was okay.

When the woman told her that her parents were dead, Andrea cried which didn’t make sense to Andrea because even though they were nice to her sometimes, most of the times she knew her parents didn’t love her so she shouldn’t love them either, but still, she cried.

She didn’t believe that Niklaus had killed her parents. She refused to even though people were saying it had to be him because he was the abomination. The other four had been drained but her parents had been massacred in the same way the alpha and his daughters had been.

Her mother’s friend, Darya took her into her home that day and said she could live with them now.

Andrea was too afraid to sleep. What were they going to do to Niklaus? She had to warn him and his brothers and sister Rebekah who was nice to her. She listened as Darya and her husband talked in very low voices while she tried to be very quiet herself as she attempted to sneak out of the house without them knowing.

“You must assert yourself as alpha now before the battle begins. Now is the time to strike,” Darya whispered. “Show yourself to be the leader I know you are.”

“I will lead the attack on the Mikaelsons and rid our people of that scourge once and for all, then at the festival I will announce myself as the new alpha,” her husband, Royden informed her.

“You must be prepared to face opposition, my love.”

“Then I will have to show them that any opposition will not be tolerated.”

“Yes, that is the way, my husband. You must not be weak as Jasyn was. Unlike him, you will not be an alpha who negotiates, who discusses. That weakness, that unwillingness to act made him easy prey for you. You proved yourself to be the alpha he never would be when you destroyed him and his whole litter.”

Andrea blinked as she tried to understand what they were saying. A panicky feeling filled her heart. Destroyed. What did that mean? If you destroyed something, you wrecked it, you broke it, but the alpha hadn’t been broken, he’d been killed. Is that what Darya meant? They killed him? Were Darya and her husband bad people?

“Now, what do we do about the child?” Darya asked.

Andrea stayed behind her door, listening and trying to be as quiet as she could.

“We’ll bond her Langon once I’m situated as alpha,” Royden replied.

“Why wait? Let’s do it first thing in the morning.”

“What is the rush, wife?”

“If there is opposition, you could be attacked. If the child is bonded to our son, then it will keep anyone from harming us. The villagers love that little girl, especially now that she has been orphaned, they will allow no harm to come to her, and by extension we will be safe as well.”

Andrea whimpered. She did _not_ want to be bonded to Langon! She did not want to be with these people anymore. They were _not_ nice people! Andrea climbed out the window and ran away from the house towards the Mikaelson home. Maybe if she warned them that the villagers were going to attack they wouldn’t suck her blood and kill her dead. She knew Niklaus wouldn’t even if he wasn’t her friend anymore. Maybe warning him would make him want to be her friend again.

Elijah pulled open the door and Andrea fell into the house, she’d been knocking so hard.

“They k…k..killed the…they’re c..c..c…,”

Niklaus immediately rushed over to her and took her by the shoulders. “What is it, sweetheart? What happened?”

Andrea was shaking so hard she couldn’t breathe.

Rebekah wrapped a blanket around her. “There we are then, darling. Easy now. What happened?”

“The alpha is dead. They think….think…you did it. But I know you didn’t! I know cause my mother’s friend Darya did it! She…she and her husband Royden did it! I heard them! I heard them say so!”

One of the other brothers, Finn burst into the house, covered in blood. “We need to leave. Now!”

“What happened to you?” Rebekah asked.

“It’s Kol. Mother tried to kill him because we killed those wol-” Finn stopped when he saw Andrea. “What is she doing here?”

Andrea burrowed closer against Rebekah. Esther tried to kill her son?

“Leave her alone, Finn. Where is Kol now?” Niklaus asked as Rebekah ran to grab as many things as she could fit in cloth bags.

“He escaped. I managed to run as well. The last I saw Mother and Father were fighting.”

“We need to get out of here, now,” Elijah said.

Andrea looked around as they all scrambled about, getting ready to leave. What would happen to her?

“They’re here!” Finn warned looking back from the window.

“Father or Mother?” Niklaus asked.

“The wolves,” Finn replied, wide-eyed.

Rebekah stared at Elijah. “What now?”

Andrea scrambled behind Niklaus when someone threw a torch through the window and one of the crowd demanded that they come out. She wrapped her little hands in the folds of his white shirt and held tight.

He turned and scooped her up moving them all to the back of the house, though more wolves were waiting there.

Andrea tugged on his shirt. “They won’t hurt me so maybe they won’t hurt you if they know we’re friends…or…maybe you can pretend to be my friend again.”

Niklaus stared down at her. “Little Wolf…” He shook his head. “You’re braver than I deserve.”

“Or…I heard Darya and Royden say they were going to bond me to their son so when people found out what they did the werewolves wouldn’t kill them because Langon was bonded to me.” She gripped his arms now. “Niklaus! You’re part wolf, right? If you’re bonded to me they won’t hurt you! And I won’t have to be bonded to Langon if I’m already bonded to you. Please don’t let them bond me to him! Please!” she begged, starting to cry. “I’m not brave. They scare me!”

“Andrea, you don’t want to be bonded to me. I’m…not a good match for you,” he said sadly.

“Hell, I’ll do it if you won’t!” Finn said stepping forward.

Niklaus reached out with lightening speed and gripped him by the throat. “Don’t come near her.”

“And you can’t, Finn, you’re not a wolf,” Elijah pointed out.

“Well, someone needs to do something soon!” Rebekah said, ducking as another torch was thrown through the window and she struggled to put it out. “We have Andrea Labonair here with us! Stop your attack before the child is harmed!” She screamed out the window.

“You can go away after and hide. They’ll let you go. It’s just for them to see they can’t hurt you. Please Niklaus! You can leave and…maybe if you want to you can find a witch after to do a spell to make us not bonded anymore but just for now? Just so you’ll be okay and I won’t have to be bonded to bad people and maybe find someone I like better later, though no one is as best as you.”

“Andrea-” Niklaus started, looking panicked from her to the window.

“Let the child go!” One of the wolves screamed.

“It’s the best solution for now, Niklaus. We won’t be able to hold them off soon. You’re connection to the child is the only card we have to play,” Elijah reasoned, taking his brother by the shoulder.

“Brother, have you lost your mind? To shackle an innocent to an abomination like me?” Niklaus protested, wide eyed.

“Stop it. That is our parents talking! You are not an abomination. Do this, Niklaus. Do this and ensure our safe passage out of this house,” Elijah pleaded.

“I don’t even know how to do such a thing.”

Elijah rushed to the kitchen. “I’ll perform the ritual.” He came back with rope and a knife. Andrea took a step back at the sight of the knife, coming up against Rebekah who stroked her hair.

“It’s all right, love. It’ll just hurt for a little bit. You still want to do this, my brave girl?”

Andrea swallowed. A little bit of pain would be okay if it meant her people wouldn’t hurt Niklaus. She nodded and Rebekah kissed the crown of her hair. Andrea looked back at her and her heart hurt because it felt so nice. She wished Rebekah could be her mother.

Elijah set a bowl between Niklaus and Andrea. The little girl coughed as smoke filled the room from one of torches Finn had struggled to put out before it sent the whole house up.   

Through the open window someone shot an arrow that caught Finn in the chest. Andrea screamed.

“Brother!” Rebekah cried going to him.

“We have to do this now!” Elijah shouted. He grabbed Andrea’s hand and made a small cut in the second last finger on her left hand and on her wrist squeezed a few drops of blood into a stone bowl, then did the same to Niklaus.

It did hurt but Andrea told herself to be brave. “Is he dead?” Andrea asked, looking at Finn lying on the floor as Rebekah pulled the arrow from his chest.

Elijah used the rope to bind Andrea’s hand to Niklaus’s and instructed them to press their cut fingers against each other. Andrea sucked in her breath because that stung a lot more than the cut had. “Repeat the words after me. I bind myself to you in spirit and in flesh. I shall know you as you know me. This I swear to you. As my heart’s blood beats against your hand, my loyalty shall be yours. My courage shall be yours. The strength of my heart shall flow through your veins, beyond time. I accept what you are and what you shall be.” At that Niklaus glared at his brother.

“I can’t do this to her, Elijah.”

“Please, Niklaus. They’re gonna make me bind to Langon if you don’t,” Andrea sniffled, afraid.

“We’re saving you both,” Elijah insisted. “Now let me finish. I accept and wish a thousand lifetimes with you. Bonded in love and soul I am.” 

   Haltingly, Niklaus and Andrea repeated the words. The house shook violently and the air seemed to shift and explode in blinding light and noise around them. A shiver of warmth and love moved through Andrea like she’d never felt before. She felt protected, like nothing would ever hurt her again. She felt powerful.

Niklaus shielded her until it settled. They all looked at each other but Andrea got to her feet and tugged off the rope. “Okay. It’s gonna be okay now.” A strength filled her and she moved towards the door.

“Andrea, wait!” Niklaus insisted.

“You wait here, okay?” She moved the things blocking the door and opened it.

Darya ran towards her. “Thank God you’re all right!”

Andrea stuck her hand out. “No! You’re a bad lady.”

Darya stopped and looked at her warily. “What are you speaking of, child? I only want to help you.”

“You’re going to leave Niklaus and my friends alone. None of you are not going to hurt them.”

“Stupid child, they killed six of our people including your parents! They killed our alpha!” Royden shouted, enraged.

“No! They didn’t. You killed the alpha and his family. I heard you and Darya talking. Maybe…maybe you killed my mother and father too.”

The crowd gasped and murmured amongst each other, looking suspiciously at Royden and his wife.

“They have confused the child and turned her against her own people!” Darya said, her eyes filling with tears.

“No! The Mikaelson’s can’t help what they are. Their mother turned them into vampires but they did not kill our alpha. I know what I heard. I was in bed and heard Darya and Royden talking. You pretend to be nice but you’re not! I ask the rest of you to banish the Mikaelsons cause what they did was very bad but they can’t help it, so they shouldn’t be killed.”

“She’s lying!” Darya exclaimed fearfully as the crowd began to turn against her. She faked a smiled and extended her hand to Andrea. “Come darling. Let’s take you home away from these monsters. Then we can bind you to Langon and he’ll protect you so these vampires can never hurt you or our people again.”

Andrea glared at her. “I know why you really want to do that and it’s not to protect me but yourself but it’s too late. I’m already bound so there!” She snapped triumphantly stomping her foot.

The crowd stared at her, going instantly silent.

“Impossible!” Royden’s angry voice cut through the quiet. “There was no binding ceremony that was witnessed by our people. Your father never approved a match for you that wasn’t with the alpha’s non-existent son!”

Andrea turned and motioned Niklaus forward. “I’m bound to the hybrid. Niklaus Mikaelson.”

The crowd erupted in anger. “A vampire! It’s not possible! It’s not valid! He’s a monster! Not one of us!”

Niklaus came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. It helped Andrea feel braver and she looked up at him with a smile.

“Half a vampire!” Elijah pointed out coming up behind Niklaus and Andrea. “The other half is a werewolf. As you’ve so often thrown in his face, he is a hybrid. Therefore the ritual is valid.”

“This will not stand!” Royden shouted, coming at them with a spear.

Niklaus rushed forward and slit his throat, killing him instantly. Andrea screamed, but not for horror over Royden’s death. Her fear was that Niklaus’s action would make the crowd attack them. “Anyone else?” Niklaus asked. “You are all nothing to me, so I have no problem destroying the lot of you. For her, I ask you to stand down. Stand down, let us leave and you will be left in peace. Except you. For her sake, I offer you all the justice of killing the people who killed your alpha family.” He took his knife and stabbed Darya, leaving her lifeless body next to her husband’s.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

**I Love How It Is Now That It Is You And I Again**

She slept in Niklaus’s arms, rocked by the motion of the carriage. When she stirred awake, it was still night time.

“There, Little Wolf. Nothing can hurt you now because we’re bonded so I’ll always protect you,” Niklaus whispered. “Go back to sleep. I’ll wake you when we get to the ship.”

They were taking a ship across the sea to a new land to a new life. Rebekah tried to make it sound like an exciting adventure but Andrea was sad because she heard Elijah talking about finding her a new family once they got there.

Niklaus said he didn’t want to contaminate her with what they were and Elijah agreed that she deserved a better life. Andrea didn’t want to leave them and said so when three weeks into their voyage, Elijah told her there was a family who had heard that her parents had died and wanted to take her in.

“I don’t want to go with strangers. Why can’t I stay with you? I promise not to be any trouble. Really. Do they know I’m a wolf? What if they don’t want me once they know?”

“You shouldn’t transition until you’re an adult. This is your chance for a good life, sweetheart,” Rebekah explained. “You’ll be safe.”

“But you said you’ll always protect me. How will you do that if you’re sending me away?” Andrea insisted, directing the question to Niklaus who was facing away from them, leaning against a mast in the center of the cabin.

He said nothing.

“Giving you a normal life is protecting you. Far away from the killing, the danger because of who we are. You’ll grow up in a home with other children,” Elijah explained.

“Is that what you want, Niklaus? You want me to go away?” Andrea asked, tears filling her eyes.

He turned to her, his eyes wet too. “I want you to be safe. More than anything, I want you to be far away from me and at peace.” He sniffled and got down on his knees in front of her. “We’ll always be friends. Always and if you ever need me, just send word, but you deserve a good life. If you’re my friend, you want me to be happy, don’t you?”

She nodded quickly. “But I don’t want you to go away.” she whimpered, her face crumpling.

“Knowing your safe and living a life having fun with other children, at peace, that will make me so happy, Little Wolf. Can you do that for me? Can you be brave for me like you always are?”

Her heart felt like it was breaking when they docked and she was given to her new family. Her new mother and father had kind faces and three other children, a boy and two girls, for her to play with.

Elijah told her new parents they would send word when they settled in a new home so Andrea would know where to send word if she ever needed them and it broke her heart to say goodbye to them.

She wrapped her arms around Niklaus’s neck and buried her face in his shoulder, not wanting to let go. She felt so lost when he told her they had to leave, and kissed her on the forehead.

“Be happy, Little Wolf. Until we’re reunited again, I’ll carry you right here.” He took her little fist and placed it over his chest.

That sense of loss, of being only half a person stayed with her for the next fifteen years.

 

_Fifteen years later._

Every full moon that passed, Andrea Labonair feared that night would be the night her transition happened and her family would learn the truth of what she was, then it wouldn’t happen and she was safe for a little while longer.

She loved her family, but always felt a bit apart from them. Her mother Sayra was a sweet woman, kind. Everything her birth mother Hester had not been. She knew Andrea had the sense of displacement and tried always to let her know she was loved. Her father Caleb was a stoic man, not one to show affection but he let his children know in other ways that he loved them. With praise and pride and encouragement. Her brother Mathis was being educated in Florence so Andrea didn’t see much of him and even when he had been home, he didn’t show much interest in her or his other sisters. Her sister Claire was in a covent, a novice, having recently taken her vows which left herself and the middle sister Rachel to marry and bring prosperity to the family.

Rachel was betrothed to a suitor she’d met at a festival last year. The wedding would be soon.

That left Andrea. They were invited to parties and men flocked to her but no one held her interest, no one stole her heart. They all felt _wrong._ She went through her days with a hole in her heart, a bound female without her mate. It seemed a single choice made as a child to protect her and save Niklaus had now doomed her to a life of unhappiness because her heart and soul was promised to someone she could never have, had not seen in fifteen years. There was the occasional note in the beginning, but not a word in the last ten years. Abandoned yet again. Sayra tried to assure her it was for her own good. Niklaus and his family were doing her a kindness, helping her move on with her new life, a better life by pulling away. It did not feel like a kindness and in her darkest moments, late at night when the urge to see him felt as if it would cripple her, Andrea hated him with the equal measure of which she loved him.

A child’s love at first. As she grew older and understood how things were between men and women, understood attraction and lust and romantic love, she built Niklaus up in her mind and he shifted from an object of fatherly and brotherly devotion to an object of desire.

Unrequited. Now Andrea felt stuck in place, unable to open heart to another, trapped by bonds to a man who had washed his hands of her to seek his fortune in the world, last she’d heard.

Then the invitation came. The Mikaelsons had acquired a castle in York and were having a party. She clutched the invitation to her heart and tried to stop trembling. She would see him again.

Andrea studied her reflection in the mirror. Would he find her beautiful? Men told her she possessed a beauty that drove them to madness but Rachel taught her not to put stock in such flattery. Yes, she was beautiful with her dark hair and hazel eyes but Rachel told her she must learn to harness that beauty and use it for her own power rather than let a man’s opinion dictate her choices.

She knew her sister was right, but Andrea felt as if she would die to have Niklaus see her as beautiful. In her memories of him, he was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen with his golden hair and blue eyes and his mouth that made her blush to the roots of her hair when she imagined kissing it.

 The journey by carriage would take a few days. Andrea’s heart was in her mouth for the entire trip. Her family was not impoverished by any means but the opulence of the Mikaelson home took her breath away. They had done very well for themselves and word was they had their hands in many growing industries.

The servants greeted them first and helped them get settled in for the week long stay. They were then led into the parlour where they were to be received.

Andrea spotted Rebekah first because the woman came rushing over to her with a squeal of delight, dressed in an exquisite green morning dress, her golden hair pinned up.

“Andrea! Is that you? Oh you beauty!” Rebekah cupped her face. “I would know that face anywhere. Oh how I’ve missed you, darling.” She hugged her tightly and Andrea nearly wept with how nice it felt to be reunited with the woman she had wished had been her mother as a child. Now she looked at her as a sister of the heart.

“I’m a frog next to you,” Andrea insisted. Over Rebekah’s shoulder she grinned at Elijah who was greeting her parents.

He walked over to her, looking impossibly handsome and took her hand and kissed. “I respectfully disagree. I pray you will forgive us keeping our distance all these years. We thought it for the best.” He kissed her cheek.

“You were wrong,” Andrea insisted, unable to keep the note of resentment from her voice. Elijah looked at her sadly and extended his hand towards her parents to prove his point.

“No, I don’t think we were, but I ask for your forgiveness anyway.”

“And because I love you, I shall grant it,” Andrea hugged him.

Niklaus appeared then in the doorway and all the breath left her body. He was impeccably dressed in a black suit, his blond hair tied back. He looked the man she had known, yet so different. Polished, but harder, with an air of danger that scared her in a way she had never been frightened of him before. Yet she found herself irresistibly drawn to him.

The room seemed to shrink away, the people disappeared and there was only him. The blood seemed to pump thicker in her body throughout her veins in his presence and she found herself unable to speak. The urge to grab him and scream _mine!_ was so violent within her she had clench her fists to hold herself still.

Desire, hot and wet rushed through her when he leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Hello, Little Wolf,” he whispered.

Her eyes lifted to his and the hot flare of male appreciation was there, but it seemed so different coming from him. Everything she wished to be to him was there in his eyes. Lust, dare she hope, love, burned through her like a physical thing. In his eyes, she saw herself as beautiful, as desired, as wanted with a ferocity that terrified her even as she wanted to bury herself in it. He looked at her as if she was no longer Andrea the child he had indulged, but the woman he wanted and would claim for his own.

They made pleasantries for a few minutes before drinks and food was offered. Conversation was made and Andrea engaged in it as well but if she was to be asked what anyone was talking about she would have been at a loss. Nothing registered but Niklaus’s eyes on hers. To be the object of such heady attention was so overwhelming as to be almost uncomfortable and Andrea found she couldn’t fully breathe until a few other guests arrived they split up to either tour the castle or the gardens.

She went outside and gave a little start when she spotted Elijah speaking with a man and his wife as he led her to the stables.

A male hand appeared in front of her bearing a gold ring with a shining black stone. “They allow us to be out in the daylight,” Niklaus explained.

She took his hand to inspect it more closely. “How wonderful!”

His fingers closed over her palm and Andrea’s heart skipped a beat. She cleared her throat and tried to pull her hand away but he wouldn’t relinquish it. He turned her hand over and kissed her palm, the heat of his mouth making her knees weak.

“You really shouldn’t. People might see,” Andrea warned, her cheeks flaming.

He looked up at her, a devilish glint in his eyes but straightened and released her hand. “You haven’t gone through your transition yet.”

She studied him. It hadn’t been a question but a statement. She couldn’t keep the note of resentment from her voice. “If I had, you’d never know it now would you, considering you probably haven’t given me a single thought in the last fifteen years.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “It could almost be amusing how wrong you are if I don’t understand your anger with me. Let me assure there hasn’t been a day in the last fifteen years that I have not thought of you, have not known everything about you. For example, last spring, you went on a family trip to Spain where you father turned down a don’s request to call on you because you found out he beat the four children he already had from a previous marriage. You were ill a month ago because you got caught in a rain storm. At your sister Rachel’s betrothal party, you snuck too much wine and ended up sick in a fountain in the garden.”

Andrea stared at him, open mouthed. So many reactions barreled through her at once. Happiness that he had not forgotten her. Anger that he had been so close but had not contacted her. “Oh? And yet you decided not to make your presence known? Was I too much trouble?”

Niklaus shook his head. “I watched you thrive, and grow more and more beautiful with each passing year-”

“I didn’t need your flattery. I needed you!” she hissed, horrified that she had let her emotions guide her into such an admission and worse so that tears were filling her eyes.

Niklaus lifted a hand to her cheek to catch the tear that escaped. “I wanted to give you a chance. You had lost so much because of me already. The most honourable thing I could do was stay away and…I have not always succeeded in the pursuit of an honourable life but this one thing…leave you to a good life…that I was determined to do.”

“But yet you’re here now. What changed?”

“As the years passed, my feelings for you began to change. No longer were you the child who stole my heart, the child who was my only friend, a light in the dark misery that was my life. You became this woman. Strong like the most exquisite of gems. Beautiful. So beautiful I can hardly bear to look at you as one does when trying to look at the sun. It was harder to reconcile my good intentions with the desire to be in your presence and have you look at me not as the father or brother figure who protected you as a child but perhaps…someday as more.”

Andrea couldn’t breathe. Everything he was saying mimicked the yearning of her heart.

He smiled then, wryly. “But I still had nothing. No prospects. No fortune. I was nothing but the beast my father made me and the monster my mother created.”

“You were never that!” Andrea insisted gripping his hands.

He squeezed her fingers. “You’re the only one in the entire world who ever thought so. I wanted to be worthy of you. So I waited. Now here I am. I’m a wealthy man. My brother and sister, we lack for nothing. Our influence is growing in the most important business circles. Elijah has the confidence of the king himself. Now I can come to you and present my suit in the hope that perhaps your childish affection could grow into a spark of something more adult in nature, that you would see me as a candidate to win your heart.”

Andrea leaned against the garden wall, overwhelmed that such a thing, her most fervent dream was coming true. “I…I don’t know what to say.”

He swallowed and uncertainty crossed his face. “Am I wrong to hope, sweetheart? Have you already promised yourself to another?” A dark anger flickered in his eyes at that and she rushed ahead to assure him that of course there had been no one.

“My heart has always been yours, silly man. First as a child, now as a woman. I feel like my entire life has been spent waiting for you and now you’re here and to know you feel as I do…” She covered her face with her hands, unable to bear the joy bursting through her.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” He asked, concerned, reaching for her arms to pull them away to see her face.

She threw her arms around him. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing is wrong. Everything is perfect!” Andrea squealed with delight. She quickly pulled away at the reminder that they were not alone.

Niklaus smiled at her. “I will ask your father for permission to court you soon. Let’s get ready for dinner.”

She couldn’t sleep. Knowing Niklaus was only a few rooms away, her heart raced in her chest, the urge to see him so strong. She couldn’t though. No. It would absolutely ruin her reputation. Andrea bit her lip and stared at the ceiling. They were already bonded in the old way. It was only a matter of time before Niklaus asked for her hand officially. They’d hardly had a moment alone to just sit and talk once the guests had arrived and she’d missed him so much. Just a few moments alone in his company, that was all she wanted and then she could sneak back to her room and no one would be the wiser.

Andrea wrapped her robe around herself tightly and stuck her head out into the hallway. Taking a deep breath, and with a last glance down the corridor, she knocked on his door lightly. Was it too lightly? She didn’t want to risk anyone hearing her but it would defeat the purpose if Niklaus didn’t-

She jumped a little when he opened the door.

Surprise and pleasure lit his face, before a flicker of concern moved across his eyes. “Is something wrong?”

“Oh no,” she assured him. “I just wanted to see you. We haven’t had any time alone really since I arrived and…well…” She swallowed. “There’s so much to catch up on.”

He looked past her. “Aren’t you afraid someone might see you? You took a great risk, Little Wolf.”

“Well, you’re going to be asking for my hand anyway. Do you want me to go?” she asked.

“A gentleman would urge you back to your room,” he pointed out. His eyes roamed over her. “You make it very hard to be a gentleman, sweetheart.”

She lifted her chin and tried to sound sophisticated. “I’ll make sure you behave yourself.”

He laughed softly and extended his hand to her. His room was beautifully furnished with dark gleaming woods and luxurious satins and linens. It fit him so well.

She looked away from the bed as it looked too tempting and filled her with a mixture of desire and dread. She’d imagined kissing him and their old life in the village had educated her on the ways of mating animals, but the idea of such things frightened and confused her even at it pricked at her curiosity to wonder if that was the way it worked in human form.

“How come it is only you and Elijah and Rebekah here? Where are Finn and Kol?” Andrea asked, taking a seat on the chaise by the window.

He scowled and gave a wry snort. “Kol ran like a coward the night the wolves came and met an unfortunate end. Finn turned his back on his family.”

“Oh I’m sorry. And your parents?”

“Dead,” he said simply. “Let’s discuss more pleasant matters, shall we?” He took a seat next to her on the chaise.

“So it really is just you and Elijah and Rebekah now?”

Niklaus sighed. “Yes. Now, shall we discuss our betrothal? I would like you to remain here with me.” He took her hand. “Now that I’ve found you again, I can’t bear to have you go back to Wessex.”

“I don’t think my parents will allow such a thing without their remaining as well. I couldn’t possibly without a chaperon. And allow me to point out that you have yet to even ask for my hand, Sir. You still have to get my father’s permission to court me before we even get to a betrothal,” she teased.

“Do I? Ah then, let me remedy that. He took her hand and ran his thumb across her wrist. She almost wished the scar there hadn’t healed. “I have been waiting what feels like my whole life for you, Andrea Labonair. Our years apart were agony. Stay here with me. Be my wife. We were bonded long ago. Let’s bring that bond to fruition now.” He cupped her cheek.

She closed her hand over his on her face. “Yes, of course, yes!” She turned her face and kissed his palm. The gesture was meant as an innocent one but touching his skin with her mouth made a lick of electricity move low between her thighs and she clenched them together.

He saw the movement and his eyes lit with that look that frightened her yet called to her.

She met his gaze and his hand moved along her face. His fingers moved down low along the curve of her lips, parting them with his thumb. She watched him, her heart racing as he lowered his head, watching her lips. He nuzzled them gently with her own, making her jump in shock at the new touch, not kissing her yet, but teasing so that their breath mingled.

She trembled, wanting him to kiss her more than she ever wanted anything and still he teased, prolonging the sweet agony. “Niklaus…” she whispered.

“Yes, sweetheart?” he teased, brushing his lips over hers just the barest of touches.

“Please…”

“Stop?” he asked, his eyes meeting hers with challenge.

“No,” she pleaded.

She saw the flash of triumph in his eyes before finally closing his mouth over hers and making her senses explode in the sweetest devastation of her young life. 


	8. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

**For Just An Infinitesimal Moment Of Time I Knew What My Heaven Would Be**

How silly her dreams seemed now. Even at what she thought was the most illicit of fantasies where his lips pressed against hers, never had it felt as soul shaking as the reality of his mouth claiming hers, his tongue…what was he doing with his tongue? Confused she clutched at his shoulders and followed suit, meeting his with her own. Oh she liked that. He cupped her face and she felt cradled beneath his palms, cherished as she never had been.

Niklaus tasted of wine and cream from dessert and a hint of something that she guessed was his alone. It was headier than the wine and Andrea wanted to gorge herself on it. She whimpered in his mouth, felt her body swell and pulse and instinctively she moved closer pressing herself against his chest she her breasts met the hard, warm wall of his body.

Her breasts grew heavy and hot and Andrea imagined him putting his hands on them. The nipples tightened and rasped against the fabric of her nightgown and the sensation sent a bolt of liquid heat through her core. She shivered against him and tried to get even closer. She didn’t know how to end this rolling delicious agony moving through her blood, but she guessed Niklaus knew. He was older and a man, surely he knew, but suddenly he was pulling away.

She moaned and pressed forward to continue the kiss as he eased back.

He broke the kiss, his face pressed against hers, his breath ragged against her skin. “Love…too much…Dear God…We must stop-”

“No. No,” Andrea sighed, searching out his mouth again, moaning blissfully when he surrendered and tightened his fingers in her hair, deepening the kiss for only a moment before breaking away yet again and holding her away from him by her shoulders.

“We must stop, love before I take you right here and damn the consequences,” Niklaus warned, closing a hand over his mouth.

“We’re bonded. Betrothed in spirit if not yet by law. It’s all right,” she urged, reaching for him again. She was so hungry for more of the delicious chaos of his mouth on hers. It was like a wild thing inside of her

He took her arms and pinned them to her sides. “Behave, sweetheart.”

“Did I do something wrong?” She asked, her face hot with embarrassment. “I’ve never kissed anyone and I was only following your lead but if you teach me I know I can be better.”

He chuckled. “Oh I assure you, love, any better and I would have had you on your back with your nightgown up around your ears.”

“Oh,” she blinked, then grinned. “Good!”

He laughed. “Not good. You deserve better, Little Wolf, then my taking you before you’re ready. I am a beast, a monster-”

“Stop saying that. You are not. You’re wonderful and I love you!” she insisted.

He stared at her, awestruck. “What did you say?”

“Surely you know,” Andrea insisted. “I’ve loved you since before I understood about such things.”

“Care for me. Lust after me, but I beg you, Andrea, do not love me. I…” He turned away from her and got to his feet.

She stared at him in confusion. “Why on earth would you say such a thing?”

“Because I don’t deserve your love. I truly don’t. We haven’t seen each other in fifteen years and in those fifteen years I have not been a good man. I’ve cheated, I’ve manipulated, I’ve stolen, I’ve killed.”

A part of her was horrified at his confession. A deeper part of her, the selfish part of her that only wanted him for her own didn’t care. What did that say about her?

“So you’ll be better. I know you can be better.”

He went to the window and she thought he looked so alone that she couldn’t help rising and going over to him.

“Don’t tell me not to love you for I have no more a choice about that than I do about my next breath. Let me love you, let me heal what is broken in us both and show you that you do not have to fight, that you do not have to give in to fear that makes you do such horrific things. We’ll be happy. We’ll have peace. You’ll see.” She wrapped her arms around his back and nuzzled he cheek against him. “I do love you. Now tell me you love me too. I know you do.”

He turned and looked at her, his eyes so full of panic and longing that he actually trembled with it and his shaking fingers lifted to her face, tracing the curve of her cheek. “You were braver than I at five years old. You’re braver still.” He lowered his head and kissed her forehead. “Go on to sleep now. For both our sakes.”

When she woke the next morning, there was a note slipped beneath her door. Andrea picked it up and smiled, sweet warmth tugging at her chest.

_If she’ll grant her love in measure, my gratitude I’ll then declare and conceal it and flatter there, speak and act for all her pleasure. Carefully I’ll prize my treasure and sing her praises everywhere._

Niklaus winked at her across the table at breakfast, making her blush. Rachel caught the gesture and asked Andrea about it and she confirmed that yes, Niklaus was going to ask their father for permission to court her. Her sister was happy for her.

“I’ve never seen you like this,” she remarked, hugging her. “It’s as if you’re glowing.”

Andrea smiled, watching Niklaus and Elijah gathering the men for a hunting party.

“You’re good for my brother,” Rebekah said when they were alone as she showed Andrea the library. “He has not had it easy for the past fifteen years. Elijah and I despaired of ever pulling him back from the darkness, but I think you may be just the thing. I wonder if you’re ready for such a burden though. My brother is not an easy man to love.”  

“I know I am ready. I will help him overcome his demons. He told me some of the horrible things he has done. That’s a part of him that I know my love can subdue and conquer. That part of him will not reign over the goodness that I know is his true self. I will not allow it to win and we will be happy.”

Rebekah looked at her for a long time and Andrea say the flicker of skepticism there, but she leaned over and kissed Andrea’s cheek. “I pray you’re right.”

She watched Niklaus when the men returned with their game. Blood on his clothes. Animal blood, but he had shed human (if it had been human, he hadn’t specified) blood. What did it say about her that she wanted him regardless of what he had done? Was she a terrible person? She didn’t like to think of herself as such but her desire for Niklaus, awakened now seemed to supersede everything else. Was that her own animalistic self, guiding her actions rather than her rational mind? All she knew was that nothing else mattered but being with him. The love of him consumed her and she would not relinquish him now that he was hers. Ever.

She felt his eyes on her often. He searched her out as she did him. So many times, her eyes would drift to him to find him already watching her. He was the perfect host to his guests but they snuck away every spare minute that they could. When he played the piano that night for the guests, it felt as if he was playing only for her. She watched his hands. They were strong, but beautifully shaped. Capable of great tenderness and according to him, great brutality. He hadn’t wanted her to know that part of himself but she had been there for the beginning of his transition into a vampire…into a werewolf. She wondered if he had told her about his violent side to warn her away. It frightened her. But no matter. By his side she would stay because she knew the great tenderness to be found in those hands. And passion. Good heavens. That first kiss, his hands on her face, her neck…she wanted more and would have more from him tonight, Andrea decided. Propriety be damned. The urges in her body were too strong to ignore and she knew it was only respect for her that halted Niklaus from going any further. Her desire was very much echoed in his own gaze. In unguarded moments, he looked as if he wanted to devour her and the knowledge awakened in Andrea a sense of her own power as a woman.

After everyone had gone to bed the second night, Andrea snuck out of her room again and knocked on Niklaus’s door.

He cocked an eyebrow, but she could see how he pleased he was to see her. “We’ve already discussed how it isn’t wise for you to be in my bedroom, Andrea. How will it look if you’re discovered?”

 “Oh dear, you might have to make an honourable woman out of me and marry me. Oh…that’s right, you’re already going to do that,” she laughed, pushing her way inside and he pretended to object but quite easily let her in.

He chuckled but shook his head. “Andrea, you have no idea what you’re playing with, sweetheart.”

She took his hand and kissed it. “Then show me. Teach me. I love you and want to show you.”

He closed his eyes and trembled against her. He pushed her against the door, startling her. Andrea forced herself not to cower in the face of his intensity. She lifted her chin expectantly.

Niklaus kissed her and once again her senses exploded in delicious ecstasy, making her moan in his mouth and clutch him close, wrapping her arms around him.

He gripped her hips and carried her upright to his bed, setting her down on her knees, he sunk his fingers into her hair and undid the pins, throwing them across the room.

His mouth moved to her neck. “What madness is this?” He groaned against her skin as he undid the sash of her robe and let the sides fall open. Niklaus pushed it off her shoulders and tossed it aside. “You make me forget myself.” He cupped her face. “One look in your eyes, a smile, your scent and all reservation, all restraint flies out the window. What have you done to me?”

She closed the space between them with her mouth again. “Loved you. That is all.” She stroked his face. “Just loved you.”

His eyes fluttered closed. “I can’t bear it.” Niklaus pulled her nightgown up and Andrea shivered at his touch on the bare skin of her thighs.

She nipped gently at his bottom lip. “That let me bear it for you. Let me take it all.”

With a low growl, Niklaus pulled her thighs forward, sending her onto her back on the mattress. She looked up at him, waiting.

He slid his hand between her thighs and up, cupping her. She jolted and her eyes widened. No one had ever touched her there. She felt quite depraved when she imagined Niklaus’s hands on her, touching her there. The reality of it was shocking, frightening. Not that she feared him, no, she feared her reaction to him. She feared the moment her transition to beast would come, because she loved being human and had no desire to kill, to be violent, to lose control and let reign the wildness in her. Feeling the warm pressure of his hand, fingers pressing ever so gently against the core of her, all her longing pooled hot and low and she felt her body grow damp and the wildness in her stir.

Niklaus watched her, his eyes steady. “More?”

She took a deep breath and bit her lip. Andrea nodded. He slid his hand past the fabric and at the touch of his fingers against her bare wet skin, she moaned.

He smiled at her. “Ah yes, that sound, like music, love.” Niklaus stroked slowly, as if trying to tame her like he would a wild animal, or to perhaps give rise to it. He dipped his finger down and just the slightest bit inside.

Andrea gasped and lifted her hips, wanting more.

“Greedy, then, Little Wolf?”

He lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her softly as he eased more of his finger inside, catching her whimper as her body began to tremble all over and her body clamped tight around his finger.

“Oh my goodness…” she sighed.

Niklaus kissed her cheeks, her nose, sliding his lips down the column of her throat, licking at her pulse, sucking before continuing downward. He grabbed the collar of her nightgown. “Take this off. Bare yourself to me, Little Wolf,” he demanded.

Eagerly, with no thought to modesty, Andrea did as he commanded and pulled the nightgown up and over her head.

Niklaus groaned in approval, pulling back only long enough to take her naked body in with his gaze. It was like fire lit the blue in his eyes, making the color more vibrant. His eyes roamed over hers, like a brand, searing her skin so that Andrea swore she could feel her body flush and rise with sweat.

“Such sweet innocent flesh,” he murmured, running his free hand down her neck down her collar to cup a breast.

She exhaled shakily. His palm was warm against the weight of her breast. He squeezed gently and she sucked in her breath when a thumb moved over her nipple. Tension coiled tight in her belly at the touch and tugged deep inside of her when he pinched the rosy skin, making it tighten. She stared at him in shock. “That hurt.”

He licked at her bottom lip. “Shall I stop, then?”

She shook her head quickly. “No, again.”

He chuckled and pinched them again, making her gasp and a slight rush of desire spilled from her between her legs onto his fingers. The pain wasn’t unpleasant at all, but addicting. Was that the animal part of her, craving the violence?

“Mmm, then I think you’ll enjoy this.” Niklaus lowered his head and after pinching the other nipple, he closed his mouth around it so that the pain mingled with the heat of his mouth and at the same moment he pulled back his finger and thrust it in again, hard.

Andrea cried out and arched on the mattress. Greedily she slid her fingers into Niklaus’s hair and held his head still, pleading with him to do it again.

His finger pumped slowly inside of her as his mouth suckled and licked one breast, then the other.

Andrea’s body was a blur of need and chaos, wanting only more and more, rocking her hips against his hand. Her heart was racing in her chest and she couldn’t breathe for the exquisiteness rocketing through her body as she urged him for more. Two fingers then. A slight burning, pain, but Andrea didn’t care. “More.”

“Mmm, no. I will be inside of you when I break you for the first time,” he growled.

She had only a vague notion of what he meant. That possession, when he put that part of himself inside of her, it would likely hurt, but she guessed it would be like this, a good kind of pain. Yes, she wanted that too, then. Andrea slid her hands down into his night shirt, tugging at it. “I want to see you bare too.”

Niklaus looked up at her and smiled. “First thing’s first, love.” He thrust his fingers faster, deeper, making her fall back against the mattress with a cry.

“Yes,” she pleaded, chanting again and again.

“Come on then, Little Wolf, let go. Let me feel this sweet tight cunt tremble around my fingers, my love.” His pace quickened. He lowered his mouth to her breasts again and pressed thumb to a small spot between her folds where the sharpest sweet agony seemed contained. He rubbed in small circles between thrusting his fingers.

Something was happening, building inside of her and Niklaus seemed to be waiting for something but Andrea didn’t know wh- She arched and screamed as her body seemed to explode beneath her skin in a shower of fire and pulsing, throbbing nerves. It went on and on rolling inside of her, both stealing her breath and making her feel so powerful she imagined she could tear the posts from his bed with her bare hands.

He slowed his movements as the rush began to recede and eased out to stroke her with gentle touched. “Enjoy that, love?” He asked smugly.

“Mmmm,” she moaned, incapable of speech at the moment. Her eyes were closed but she could hear him chuckle.

She heard the rustle of fabric and felt the bed dip and rise beneath her as he moved. When she opened her eyes again, it was to see him remove his clothing. He was so lean and tightly muscled, it gave him a devastating, dangerous grace as he moved. His skin gleamed like polished light gold except where hair trailed with growing thickness to surround his shaft, hard and thick and standing from his body. He’d given her two fingers. Clearly this was three. It would hurt, but she was sure it would be the same sort of beautiful pain.

“You are so beautiful,” she whispered looking at him. She reached out and ran a hand up the thick hair roughened column of his thigh.

“Men are not beautiful,” he snorted. “Even the more human males of our species are beasts. Women are beautiful. You, you sweet, exquisite thing, are so beautiful you stop my heart.”

She blushed and her fingers moved to circle his member but he quickly stopped her with a groan. “I want to please you as you did for me.”

“You please me, I assure you, but I fear if you touch me right now, I will lose the tight rein on the control I have tried to keep from the moment you knocked on my door.”

“Have you?” she asked smiling.

He gave a rueful chuckle and shook his head. “You haven’t changed at all. Still willing to leap before you look.”

“Mmm, it seems to have worked out for me in the end, wouldn’t you agree?”

“We’ll have to curb that impulsiveness once we’re wed,” Niklaus warned.

She narrowed her eyes in challenge. “Good luck with that, darling husband to be.” Andrea extended her arms to him. He took them and pinned them above her head to the pillow as he moved his body over her.

“Let’s see if we can’t make you properly docile, wife to be,” he said.

She swallowed at the first touch of the head of his shaft against her folds. Apprehension mingled with desire and Niklaus surely saw it in her eyes because his eyes softened and he kissed her. “I’ll try and be gentle but…forgive me if I can’t.” His features were tight with restraint and he was trembling above her.

She touched his face. “Always,” she promised. To help him, she thrust her hips up to take him more fully inside of her, giving a small cry at the pain. There was a burning sting that made her want to pull away but feeling Niklaus’s ragged breath against her face, the utter bliss on his face, Andrea couldn’t bear to ask him to stop. She breathed through the pain and then he was fully inside of her and her body stretched to accommodate him.

“God…” he murmured, shaking above her. “Dear God…”

She bit her lip and winced when he moved back, then in again. The air around them seemed to change and grow hotter, as if a protective cloak slid over them. The warmer the air grew around them, the less sharp the pain was until gradually the pain receded and the promise of pleasure returned. Andrea blinked at the sweet fullness now. The air around them was thick and almost pulsing with an energy that seemed to come from the two of them and filled the room.

Niklaus eased back and moved a few strands of her hair from her damp forehead. “Better now?”

She nodded, her eyes filling a bit at his care. Just like when she was a child, he wanted to protect her and care for her. Boldly, she reached down for his bottom and pushed him more deeply inside of her. “Take me, my love. Take me as you wish.”

“Gah…” He groaned, hissing at the pleasure as she tightened her muscles around him. “You’re still…I don’t want to hurt you.”

Andrea wrapped her legs tight around his waist. “You will never hurt me. The initial pain is gone. Take me how I can see you struggling not to. I can see it in your face.” She kissed him, licking at his lips. “See it in your eyes, my love. Feel it in your harsh breath against me skin. Take me hard. I want it. I do.”

He gave a low groan and eased back, meeting her eyes, testing her, he thrust back in to her hard.

It hurt, but not as much as before and the pleasure was much greater.

“Ah yes,” she sighed, arching beneath him. “More. Deeper.”

It was like a living throbbing burst moved through the room with each thrust and Andrea thought she would surely die of the pleasure. Something was alive in the room between them, an energy. Oh, was it their bonding, finally being made flesh, she wondered distantly

He kissed her, his tongue mimicking the movements between her legs. Then it was happening again, that sweet tension coiling tighter and tighter as he drove into her again and again, faster and faster. He roared and she watched his eyes change and glow amber in the lamp light before she joined him and clamped tight around his shaft as a full body pulse and shiver moved through her body more powerfully than her first release. She felt the hot rush of his seed and her body seemed to throb and pull it deep into her womb, squeezing and pulsing to pull more and more from him.

The feeling seemed to go on and on as their bodies seemed to feed off the energy they generated between them until finally, the limits of their endurance were reached and Niklaus fell into her arms with a groan of surrender. 


	9. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

**I Fear The Green-Eyed Monster**

Andrea felt different. She imagined she would when her body was given to her husband when she married and her innocence taken. True, they’d put the cart before the horse a bit but she didn’t regret one single moment and knew it was only a matter of time before Niklaus asked her father for her hand. She lay back in the tub, a glorious intricately carved stone thing filled with hot water thanks to the servants. She’d stay here for the tub and hot water alone, Andrea thought with a smirk, though Niklaus was a nice perk too. Four days. They had four days left before she and her family returned to Wessex. She moved her hands over her damp skin. Her skin felt more sensitive since her night with Niklaus. As if her body was now alive in a way it hadn’t been before. What a gift it was, to love him and know that for the rest of her life, she would never be alone again. She let out a squeal of happiness and dunked her head under the water, giving into childish glee.

There were too many people around for her liking, but every time Niklaus caught her eye it was like the two of them were the only two in the room. She didn’t want to will away the time but every hour was just another hour until she and Niklaus could be alone again. She was still sore but in the sweetest way and her body yearned for more. Some musicians played in the ballroom as the guests ate and Andrea stood with her sister Rachel, gossiping with a few of the other women while her father danced with her mother. It was interesting for a few minutes but soon Andrea found herself becoming bored. She looked around for Niklaus and found him chatting with one of the older men, a serious look on both their faces, then suddenly Niklaus smiled, but it wasn’t one of his genuine smiles. It was a mocking, smug grin and he placed his hand on the man’s shoulder in dismissal before walking away with a smile and leaving the man furious about something.

Elijah suddenly popped up in front of her.

“Oh! Elijah, hello!”

“May I have this dance, Ms Labonair?” He extended his arm to her.

She nodded eagerly and let him lead her to the dance floor. He was a very good dancer. It occurred to her that it would have been nice to have Niklaus be her first dance partner but he had yet to ask her so she decided to enjoy herself.

“Niklaus told me that he is going to ask your father for permission to call on you,” Elijah said.

Andrea grinned at him. “Yes, he is. Hopefully tonight sometime during the party.”

“It’s nice to see you so happy. You deserve it. And I think I actually caught Niklaus whistling as I passed him in the corridor this morning.”

Her face grew hot and she looked away quickly, fearing he would see the events of the night before in her eyes.

He chuckled. “It’s obvious the two of you love each other and Niklaus needs that love in his life desperately. I only hope you’re ready for the task of being my brother’s wife as it will not be an easy one.”

Andrea cocked her head. “You’re the second person to say that to me. Rebekah gave me such council as well. I know who Niklaus is…no, I know who Niklaus was. He told me so. He told me that he had killed people in the past.”

Elijah stiffened but Andrea went on.

“But I believe it was because he could not control the violence in him. I will help him to change. I mean, look at this party. All these guests and he is perfectly fine. You and Rebekah aren’t savage monsters draining their bodies of blood.”

He opened his mouth then closed it.

“What?” she pressed uneasily.

“We do feed on them, Andrea. We just compel them to forget it afterwards.”

Andrea felt as if her heart dropped into her stomach and she looked over at Niklaus who didn’t look happy as he watched them. She wasn’t sure what had happened to upset him. “Not my parents though, right, Elijah? None of you are feeding from my parents or Rachel, are you? Tell me-”

“You needn’t worry that any harm will come to them but you have to know that it’s a part of our nature now. We have to feed. Niklaus especially, must feed, now yes, it can be managed but-”

“Well good. If you must then I understand but I’m telling you and I will tell Niklaus, my family is not to be touched,” she insisted fiercely.

“Niklaus will be your family now,” Elijah reminded her. “Your loyalty should be to him.”

Now it was her turn to stiffen. “And it will be, but that does not mean that I will turn my back on the people who raised me. I remember well what the opposite of having their love and support and was like. I know that you and Niklaus never had that so maybe that is why you feel like there cannot be any other way but I’ve had love in my life, affection. I will lavish it upon Niklaus for the rest of my life and that love will help him to be a better father to our children than Mikael was to him.”

Elijah’s eyes widened and then sadness crossed his features. “He didn’t tell you. Andrea…there will be no children. Vampires cannot procreate. And honestly, even if we could I doubt my brother would be so inclined out of some paranoia that he would pass on our parents cruelty to his own children.”

Andrea stared at him, sadness gripping her. “I didn’t…think. Are you certain?”

He gave her a pointed look. Of course, he would know, wouldn’t he? “Niklaus should have told you this and forgive me for over-stepping but I do believe you love him. I just think you should be prepared for the challenges you face, that both of you will have to face together.”

Blinking back tears at the idea that she and Niklaus would have no children, Andrea lifted her chin and nodded. “I do love him. More than anything. That’s all that matters.”

He touched her cheek and smiled softly. “Brave Little Wolf, as my brother would say.”

“What about you, dear Elijah. Has someone captured your heart yet or are you far too stoic to fall prey to such emotions?”

He chuckled. “No. No woman would have the likes of me. They are far too smart.”

Andrea laughed at that. “Oh hush, there are any number of young misses here who would fall at your feet were you to look at them twice. I’ve seen them. You deserve happiness too, Elijah.” She squeezed his fingers. “Don’t allow your melancholy or duty or whatever it is that makes you so sombre to blind you to all the opportunities you have for love, for peace.”

“Don’t pre-occupy yourself with the sad state of my love life, hmm? Focus only on enjoying the happiness I wish for you and my brother.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek.

“My heart is warmed to see my brother and my betrothed getting along so well,” Niklaus said behind her.

Andrea turned with a smile, but it wavered at the mocking way in which his own smile appeared. Was he still in a foul mood because of the man he’d been talking to earlier?

“If you wouldn’t mind, brother dear?” Niklaus asked, motioning for Elijah to step aside.

“Of course,” Elijah nodded, a look passing between them Andrea didn’t understand. It almost felt like…challenge.

Her stomach tightened nervously at the unpleasant tension. “What was that?”

“Hmm?” he asked, feigning innocence as he took her in his arms.

“That moment just now with your brother. You seemed almost annoyed with him.”

“Oh of course not, love. I just think it’s better that people see you in my arms rather than my brother’s or they might think you’re going to be marrying him instead of me.”

“That’s just silly. Elijah and I were simply dancing.”

“Oh of course you were, I know that. I just think to make things clear you shouldn’t quite smile and giggle so much with him, for clarity’s sake, you know.”

She stiffened. “Are you accusing me of playing you false?”

“Oh not at all, love. Not at all. Come now, let’s not say anymore about it, then.”

She cocked her head. “One more thing, love.” She narrowed her eyes, teasing him with using his endearment. “Elijah is going to be my family, just as Rebekah will be when you and I are wed and I will not show any reservation in showing them affection as I was denied as a child and so were you all. I’m sorry if you seem to take issue with that but I will not deny my feelings and you will simply have to accept that.”

His eyes lit with challenge but this time a dark thrill moved through Andrea at the look, so much so that she welcomed his kiss at first, so caught up in the response of her body to his. Then the shock of his kissing her in the middle of a crowded ballroom registered and her panic over her parent’s reaction made her pull back, wide-eyed to find that the guests were, of course, all staring at them and her father looked furious.

Her mother looked mortified.

“I can’t believe you just did that!” Andrea hissed angrily, her face hot with embarrassment. She picked up the skirts of her gown and stormed out of the ballroom.

She wasn’t surprised when a knock on her bedroom came a few minutes later, but while she’d hoped and dreaded that it would be Niklaus, she was relieved that it was her mother.

Sayra entered the room and sat next to her on the bed. “Your father is still yelling downstairs. Interesting that the sound doesn’t carry.”

“Mother, I’m so sorry for Niklaus’s behavior. I promise that he was going to ask Father for permission to call on me, but…I’m afraid I might have goaded him more than I should have tonight and he reacted badly.”

“Yes. I’d say so. It seems to me that the two of you shared a certain intimacy before that judging by your initial reaction to the kiss, before you remembered yourself and pulled way. Am I mistaken?”

Andrea blushed and looked away.

“Ah, I see. I saw it with him, how he would watch you when he thought no one was looking. You return his feelings then?”

She nodded quickly. “I do, Mother. I love him.”

“Are you certain? Oh, he seems like a nice enough young man. A bit impulsive judging by tonight but are you sure you’re not confusing childhood friendship or perhaps gratitude for love? He did help you when your family died and ensured you had a new home.”

“Oh no! I do owe the Mikaelsons an immense debt for all they have done for me but no, what I feel for Niklaus is so…” She closed her eyes. “My love for him…it comes over me and over me in waves and I’m left both weakened and strengthened by the power of it.”

Sayra smiled and took her hand. “Perhaps it’s the first bloom of passion, then?”

Andrea felt her face grow hot and she looked away. “There is that, but it’s so much more, Mother. I want to be his wife. I know I can make him happy and he makes me happy…though I could throttle him at the moment.” She dropped her head onto her hand, making her mother laugh.

“Be prepared to deal with that feeling for years to come, sweetheart.”

Andrea’s head shot up. “So you give us your blessing?”

She stroked Andrea’s cheek. “I do, but there’s still your father to deal with. My approval won’t mean anything if he’s against the match.”

Andrea looked at the door. “Perhaps I shouldn’t leave such a task to Niklaus considering how he’s dealt with the matter thus far.”

Sayra closed a hand over hers on the bed to hold her still, “But you must leave it to him to plead his suit to your father, alone.” She kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll go see how it’s going. You stay here.”

The party was over and the house quieted by the time there was another knock on her bedroom door. Andrea rushed to open it. “Mother! What happ-Niklaus-”

He pressed a finger to her mouth. “Shh!” He smiled and closed the door behind him.

“Have you lost your mind? There’s more risk than ever now to sneak about like we have be..mmmph..”

He cut her off with a thorough kiss that had her legs turning liquid instantly. She forced herself to break away.

She lightly smacked his chest. “I’m still furious with you. How could you embarrass me like that?”

He nuzzled her neck as he pulled away layers of her clothing. “Yes, I was a horrid, horrid boy. Forgive me?” He cupped her breast, making her moan.

“I want you to promise never to manipulate me like that again! Forcing the situation as you did because your pride was stung was awful of you! And what did my father say?”

Niklaus smiled mischievously but said nothing.

“Well?” she urged.

“Despite my admitted impetuousness, your father, thanks to your mother’s calming influence decided not to try and remove my head from my neck-”

“Oh hush, my father would do no such thing. He’s a peaceful man,” Andrea insisted, poking him.

“Oh love, I think you underestimate a father’s fury if he thinks his daughter has been wronged. Anyway, he has agreed to hear my suit tomorrow. We’re going hunting, just the two of us and that will give us a chance to chat and I have no doubt he will agree to our betrothal then.”

Andrea squealed in delight and threw her arms around him. “That’s wonderful!” She rained kisses on his face.

“Ah, so I’m forgiven then?” He laughed before she pulled his mouth back down to hers. Sweeping her off her feet, Niklaus carried her to her bed laid her down.

Once naked, Andrea decided to have some fun with him. Pushing at him so that he rolled onto his back, she moved on top of him. “You know, I don’t think you’ve quite atoned for your horrid behavior earlier.”

“Haven’t I?” he asked, eyes lit with amusement. He cupped her bottom and rocked her hips so that her core rubbed against his swollen shaft. “Allow me to make amends then, Little Wolf.”

   “And so you shall,” Andrea insisted. “Now lie still.”

“With a beautiful, naked woman lying over me? I think you overestimate my restraint, love,” he chuckled.

She poked his chest. “You, Sir, have atoning to do. Now hush and lie still.”

“Yes, beloved.” Niklaus pressed his lips together and looked up at her with amused expectation. 


	10. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

**When Love Is Not Madness It Is Not Love**

Andrea straddled him. So many thoughts going through her mind, sensual things to try that she didn’t even know where to start, or if such things were even possible. She was also afraid she was too shy to try half of them. What would Niklaus think of her if she said she wanted to touch him _there,_ to wrap her fingers around the long, thick flesh? Did well bred ladies who were to be married not do such things? Would he think less of her?

“Goodness you look as if you have so much going through your mind right now, Little Wolf. What are you thinking? Tell me. Show me. It’s fine and I’m more than eager, I assure you.” As if to prove his words, he lifted his hips to prove his point.

She leaned down and kissed him. That she knew how to do. He’d taught her well and their mouths moved together in perfect, sweet unison. Boldly, she broke the kiss and slid her mouth down the column of his throat. His skin was smooth as he had shaved for the party and he smelled of wine and cake and the underlying scent that was his alone.

Before she had bathed, that scent had lingered on her skin after their first night together and she felt a pang of sorrow at washing it away.

She moved down his body, running her fingers over his smooth, golden skin. She ran the pads of her fingers over his nipples, wondering if it would bring him the same pleasure it brought her. She looked at him. He had his bottom lip between his teeth. Encouraged, she lowered her head and pressed her mouth to one nipple. She licked the pink flesh and he sucked in his breath, making her smile. Boldly she grazed it with her teeth and he groaned in approval. She felt Niklaus grow between her legs and she gave herself a moment to press her folds down against the delicious thickness, making them both groan. Andrea bit her lip and forced herself to ease off and concentrate on her exploration. She trailed her fingers down along the taut softness of his stomach, running a nail down the light brown line of hair that led to the thatch of darker hair. She swallowed nervously and looked up. “I want to touch you.”

Niklaus sucked in his breath and if anything, she felt his member grow thicker against her hip.

“Is that all right?” It was an unnecessary question. She learned well that when his body grew thick like that it meant he liked something very much.

He took her hand and wrapped it around his shaft. She blinked in surprise at the sensation. It was like smooth velvet over steel and so warm. She tightened her fingers around the flesh gently, afraid to hurt him.

“Ohhh fuck,” he groaned, arching.

“What’s that?” she asked. “That word. Oh my…you feel so nice,” she marvelled, stroking him.

“It’s…an…Ah, like that, love. Just up and down like that. It’s an exclamation. It is also what…mmm…what we do when I’m inside of you.”

“Oh I like that. Fuck.” She smiled at the word and the way his eyes lit with lust at hearing her say it.

She reached down and cupped the swollen round heavy skin, like a sac at the base of his…”And what is this called?”  

He groaned. “Bollocks. Balls.”

“Hmm, quite right. They are round. And this?” She asked, stroking the hard shaft up and down, watching as a few beads of moisture seeped through the head.

“Is this my punishment? Trying to form coherent….damn….words while your hand…on my cock?” he demanded, eyes blazing.

She grinned and gave it a little squeeze. “So ‘cock’ then?”

“Oh enough you vixen!” He exclaimed, gripping her by the hips and flipping her onto her back, making her squeal. “I think that punishment has been well meted out now.”

“No! You were supposed to beg for mercy!” she laughed, protesting and squirming as he tried to pin her down.

“Mercy, sweetheart. Mercy! I need to get inside of you now or I shall surely die.” He kissed her, making her melt and allowing him to lay her flat on the bed.

“Mmm, so you want to do ‘fuck’ to me with your cock?”

His eyes lit with hunger at her words though his mouth quirked with humour. He nuzzled her lips. “I want to fuck you with my cock,” he corrected her.

“Ah. I think I understand now, my love.” She spread her thighs and cradled him.

He eased into her slowly, making her sigh at the stretching, exquisite fullness. There was still a slight sting but Andrea lifted her hips, pressing against it.

He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against hers and when he opened them again, Andrea sucked in her breath at the fullness of emotion she found there. He hadn’t said the words. She imagined men didn’t say such things but she saw it there in his eyes. He loved her.

She reached down and pushed him deeper into her. “I love you,” she sighed against his mouth.

He took her slowly, a driving, sensual rhythm that built the tension inside of her with a gradual throbbing intensity until she was moaning his name. The air around them felt alive, hungry, threatening to devour them both and Andrea threw herself into it eagerly.

Niklaus smiled down at her, then slid an arm beneath her and flipped her over so that he was underneath her yet again. She gasped at how much deeper he felt with her on top of him.

“Oh…” she gasped.

“Ride me, love…” he panted.

It took her a moment to figure out the best rhythm, an up and down rocking that had him so high up inside of her she swore she could feel him in her belly.  

“Oh sweet heaven…” she moaned, moving forward.

He cupped her breasts and drove his hips up in time with her movements, making his slide against the sensitive bundle of nerves just above where they were joined. The warmth of his hands, coupled with the exquisite driving friction made her cry out her release with an arch of her body and digging he nails into his chest.

Holding her steady, Niklaus drove up harder, picking up his pace, thrusting through her release until she felt him fill her with his thick and hot release, moaning her name, kindling the tension with her until she was hovering with the need for completion yet again, but with a whimper she realized that he was softening inside of her. She fell against him, his body rising and falling with his harsh breathing beneath her. Shivering against him, she nuzzled his neck, kissing the saltiness of the sweat on his skin, licking at it.

With a groan, he pulled himself out of her and turned them both, curling up around her. She rubbed her bottom against him, making him hiss.

“Be gentle, love. It’s too much to have you touch me there right now.”

She took his hand and kissed it. “A rough ride was it?” she teased.

He burst out laughing. “That it was, Little Wolf.” He cupped her breast and drew her closer to him. “You make me laugh more than I ever have in my whole life. You make me happy,” he admitted. His voice sounded so small then and uncertain that Andrea turned towards him in question, but he kissed her cheek and nudged her back away from him as if he couldn’t say such things with her looking at him. The idea sent a pang of sorrow though her and fresh anger at his mother and father.

“Your very existence makes me happy, Niklaus. I look forward to spending my whole life making sure you know nothing but happiness.” She linked her fingers with his, studying his strong, yet elegant hands. Oh the magic these hands could do. Andrea bit her lip. “Elijah told me there would be no children. A part of me is sad about that, but my heart is too full of love for you to bemoan anything lacking in a future with you. You’re enough.”

He went still behind her. “It’s for the best. I don’t have it in me to be a father.”

She turned her head. “Of course you do! You’re nothing like Mikael. You took care of me when I was a child. You were loving and sweet and kind. You taught me how to read and write and were patient with me and all my silly questions. I wished so many times you could have been my father.”

“Well, you can’t argue with me that was for the best that I wasn’t, now can you, Little Wolf?” He nudged and she could hear the humour in his voice and blushed.

“All right. I’ll admit you’re right about that one.” She stroked his palm, the throb in her body receding enough to allow her to drift off to sleep in his arms.

She came awake to the sensation of Niklaus getting up out of the bed. She whimpered in the darkness and tried to pull him back. “Stay.”

He gave a soft laugh and pulled her arm from around his chest. He kissed her hand. “I can’t, love. It wouldn’t proper to be found in your bed, remember?”

“Hmmph. I hate propriety,” she grumbled.

He leaned down and stroked her head, kissing it before departing.

She woke up that morning to a note on her pillow.

_Wish me luck, my beloved Little Wolf._

She had finished dressing and was about to summon a servant to fix her hair when there was a frantic knocking on her door.

“It’s Rachel, Andrea! Let me in. Something terrible has happened!”

Andrea’s first thought was that Niklaus had been hurt but once she opened the door, Rachel’s tear stained face crumpled and she threw her arms around Andrea and the whole story spilled out. Not Niklaus. Father.

She ran down the stairs with her sister to see their mother sobbing over their father’s bloodied body laid out on the floor of the foyer, a crowd around them. Niklaus was white-faced and his eyes met Andrea’s and there was a flicker of something…panic…Andrea told herself before sorrow filled his eyes before he rushed over to her.

The story came out in a rush of horror. They were attacked by a wild animal and her father, Caleb had died protecting Niklaus. A hero’s death, Niklaus said as he held Andrea as she cried.

They had to observe a period of mourning, at least one year before they could be married. Niklaus said that Caleb had given his blessing and Sayra agreed that they could go ahead with the marriage after the mourning period had been observed.

Niklaus was not happy that Andrea had to return to Wessex with Rachel and her mother and insisted she stay with them but Andrea didn’t have the heart to leave her mother alone so soon after Caleb’s death.

After Rachel married first, after the period of mourning and to which the Mikaelsons were invited, they all returned to York with them to prepare for Niklaus and Andrea’s wedding.

Rachel’s husband Fergus was an older man and Andrea liked his quiet manner. He reminded her of their father.

Andrea was so happy to be reunited with Niklaus and to get started on their wedding. He kept adding details to make it more and more extravagant that Elijah and Rebekah would tease him that he was acting more like a bride than Andrea was.

“Oh hush,” Andrea insisted, linking her arm with Niklaus’s as they watched yet another orchestra play in the ballroom from which they would choose who would play at the reception. “Happy Niklaus is a marvel.”

“Happy Niklaus,” Elijah grinned. “Should we get banners made with that, do you think?”

“You are cordially invited to the wedding of Andrea Labonair and Happy Niklaus Mikaelson,” Rebekah teased.

“To the devil with the lot of you!” He exclaimed turning and walking out while Andrea pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh, though Rebekah had no such restraint.

They resumed the practice of sneaking into each other’s rooms though Niklaus insisted since they had her parents blessing they didn’t need to sneak about anymore.

“Oh no. How would it look if people knew what we were doing? I couldn’t possibly have them think me loose,” she insisted as he nuzzled her neck.

“No, no, very well. For your sake then. I do admit the illicitness does hold an attraction,” he said as he peeled off her clothing and then his own.

“Oh so once we’re wed should I worry you’ll become bored, then?”

He gripped her hips and pushed her down into the mattress. “I can promise you that will not be an issue, love. I can barely restrain myself with you as it is!” He said, gently biting her nipple, making her squeal.

“That was _restraint?_ ” she asked, stunned as he moved down the length of her body. “Wait, where are you going?” He parted her thighs and her confusion grew. All the breath left her body when he closed his mouth over her center and flicked at her folds with his tongue. Her thighs clamped so tight around his head. “What are doing? Oh God….”

He chuckled and pushed her thighs apart to he could continue. She never imagined such a thing! His tongue licked, his lips sucked and his teeth grazed places she thought were not meant to be touched in that way but oh sweet heaven it was glorious! She wondered if it was a part of his hybrid nature that made him engage in such things because surely normal men didn’t do this. All of a sudden her release slammed into her with frightening speed and Andrea covered her mouth to stifle her scream though Niklaus had assured her long ago that the sound wouldn’t carry.

“Oh my God…Oh my God…Oh my God….” Andrea panted.

“I have wanted to do that to you for over a fucking year,” he said, climbing back up her body. “Now, open for me again, Little Wolf because I mean to make up for lost time.” He slid his hands underneath her body and lifted her slightly off the mattress. He parted her still too sensitive folds with his cock and Andrea whimpered at the almost painful exquisiteness.

He slid in so easily, meeting no resistance as he held her thighs in his hands and began to thrust with deep, hard power. She gripped the edges of his pillow, giving herself up to his brutal delicious assault on her body. He shattered her a second time, yet didn’t stop his movements, his eyes glittering with blue, fierce determination.

Trembling she lifted her head from the pillow. “More,” she challenged, showing him his passion did not frighten her. “I want more.”

His teeth bared, fangs showing and she almost thought he meant to bite her and for a suspended moment, she almost wanted him to, but no. He gathered her up completely off the bed and urged her to turn around and grip the head board. Ah, she thought with a little shiver. Like animals then.

She moaned when he drove into her from behind, like hard steel and then his hand was there between her legs as well and her brain thought no more as she shattered again and again, pushing against his hard thrusting. The air around them blurry with passion and that throbbing life seemed to fill the room whenever he took her. Their bodies, damp with sweat moved against each other until finally she felt him swell and burst in hot thick jets inside of her.

It was a good few minutes before they could speak again. “Mmm, no straying from the marriage bed for either of thus I imagine,” she joked breathlessly.

He nipped at her shoulder. “I’d kill you, Little Wolf.”

“And I you, beloved. Rest assured, and I you.”

That was why it didn’t scare her when he spoke like that, because she felt it too. The urge to do bloody violence at the mere suggestion of some other woman seeing him like this, stripped down, animal male, vulnerable to the love between them in a way that Niklaus Mikaelson was vulnerable to nothing. He belonged to her as much as she belonged to him and she would destroy anyone who tried to take him away from her.

She listened to the beat of his heart as it calmed. “That does make me think of something though. Are you certain you want to marry me?”

His arm tightened around her instinctively and it warmed her heart that it did. “What nonsense is this?”

“I only ask because…I want you not to have any doubts, Niklaus.”

“I’m the one who should be worried about you having doubts. The things I’ve done…will have to do to survive. I’m not a good man, Little Wolf-”

“Hush, yes you are, but that’s not what I mean. You’re…well, what you are. Immortal. I’m…not. You’ll always be young and beautiful. A strong, powerful man. I will grow old, have wrinkles and someday…someday I’ll die, Niklaus-”

His grip tightened. “Stop this, Andrea. I’m not discussing this.”

She kissed his chest. “We must, beloved. Even if my transition happens, werewolves are not immortal. Are you sure you can accept that?”

His hand stopped its trailing motion along her spine and he cupped her face, forcing her to look at him. “No. I refuse to accept it. I’m not letting you die. Ever. Let me turn you, Andrea. Take my blood now and let me make you a vampire like me then I won’t lose you and we can just live forever and be happy together for eternity.”


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**

**My Love Please Tell Me Did You Ever Understand My Leaving?**

 

Andrea froze. Panic filled her and she wanted to pull away from Niklaus, from his words. Her soul immediately rejected the thought, so thoroughly disturbed and distressed that her eyes filled with tears. _Nonononono!_ She loved him, yet could not bear to be what he was. To feed off a body. To perhaps have to kill to survive. The desire to be with him forever warred with her fundamental goodness and Andrea felt torn in two.

“I… I can’t,” she whispered.

A cold mask came over his face. “I see.” He started to pull away but Andrea tightened her arms around him.

“No, please! Don’t hate me, I beg you, Niklaus, I couldn’t bear it.”

“No, what you cannot bear is what I am.” He jerked away from her and sat up on the bed, his back to her. He looked around for his clothes and started to get dressed.

“Give me…give me time. I…might change how I feel. I just…it scares me-”

“I scare you!” he snapped.

Andrea scrambled on to her knees, wrapping the blanket around her as she followed him off the bed. “No!”

“Admit it. You’re disgusted by what I am. Well let me tell you something, Little Wolf.” The endearment now sounded like an insult and Andrea jerked back at the scorn in his voice. “It may not have been my choice to be an immortal, but I would not change it for anything. I am powerful. I am feared. Nothing can touch me. Never again will I be weak or at the mercy of anyone or anything. And yet you seek to shame me for it?”

“No! Niklaus, I would never. I love you-”

“How can you love something you abhor? You use pretty words, dripping from that exquisite face of yours and yet in reality, you are ashamed of me. You have no desire to truly be bonded with me. You did so out of fear as a child. Perhaps we should find some way to sever our bond then? I’m sure Elijah or Rebekah could find some spell-”

“Stop! Please stop being so cruel when you know that’s not what I want!” Andrea covered her face and began to sob.

“You would have me watch you die. Live a life with you, depend on you, open my heart to you like I have done with no one ever and then watch you die. What is that if not cruelty?”

His words echoed in the silence after the slam of the door, signaling he had left her alone.

Niklaus wasn’t at breakfast. Andrea had no appetite and excused herself from the table without eating much.

He’d gone out riding early.

“Have you and Niklaus quarreled? He seemed in a particularly foul mood even for him,” Elijah remarked when he found her sitting in the garden.

“He wants to turn me,” she said simply, looking out over violets.

His mouth opened and then he seemed to think better of what he’d been about to say. They were silent for a moment. “And you do not wish to be turned.”

Andrea swallowed, tears burning her eyes. “I can’t. I can’t drink blood. I can’t take a life…I love him more than my life and yet…I can’t be what he is. He hates me for that.”

“My brother adores you. He hates no one so much as himself, but especially not you.”

She wiped her cheek as the tears fell. “You didn’t see how cruel he was. I’m sure he’s going to call the engagement off.”

Elijah sighed. “Niklaus has a remarkable capacity for cruelty. Usually it is a form of protection borne of life with our father. He lashes out when hurt and he sees your reluctance to let him turn you as a rejection. You were so sure you were ready to love my brother, to be his wife. I think you’re now beginning to understand the challenge you’ve taken on, aren’t you?”

  He handed her his handkerchief.

“I’m already terrified of what I will become once my transition happens. To willing submit myself to a life of violence. I cannot. I cannot change how I feel, who I am and that Niklaus would have me go against what is in my soul…” Anger rose up inside of her along with her sadness.

“This is becoming a bit of habit, isn’t it? If I need to find my betrothed, I need only search out my brother, the noble Elijah,” Niklaus’s voice came from behind them.

Andrea and Elijah turned in unison on the bench. She felt an instant of guilt before her anger gripped her again. She had nothing at all to feel guilty for! She rose to her feet. “Seeing as how my betrothed did not see fit to even greet me this morning, I decided I would spend the morning with someone who wasn’t being a horse’s ass,” Andrea snapped. She looked down at Elijah who was mimicking Niklaus’s look of surprise at her outburst. “Elijah, good day to you and I shall see you at lunch.”

She turned to storm off but Niklaus’s gripped her arm.

“We have things to discuss. Now,” he pulled her towards him, not relinquishing his grip as she fought against it.

“Let me go! I have no desire to speak with you after you behaved so horribly.”

“I don’t care,” he shot back, continuing to drag her across the garden, away from the house.

“Niklaus, really. Perhaps you need to take a moment and calm-” Elijah warned.

“Brother, be silent!” Niklaus shouted at him.

He dragged her towards the river and then finally let her go next to a cluster of trees by the bank. “Do you wish to end our betrothal?”

She fisted her hands at her sides, fighting the most overwhelming urge to hit him. Goodness gracious, what was this violence he inspired her? Ladies didn’t go around walloping their husbands over the head. “You know I do not!” she insisted.

“Good, then you will stop spending time alone with my brother Elijah from now on.”

She blinked. “That again? Have you lost your mind? I feel nothing for your brother but sisterly affection.”

“That may be so but that is not what it looks like and you may be too young to see it but to others it looks as if you return the romantic feelings he has for you.”

Andrea looked back towards the garden, trying to remember if she’d seen anything in Elijah’s eyes that would hint at such. “That’s ridiculous. I’m sure he probably still sees me as the child who used to follow you all around.”

“Not anymore. You’ve changed. From our first night together, you’ve blossomed into this passionate woman and everyone can see it and men can’t help but be drawn to it, my brother is most certainly not immune to it.”

“Oh stop being a vulgar….I don’t even know the word! Fucking ass! There,” she nodded, satisfied with herself. “You’re being a vulgar fucking ass!”

His mouth quirked, amused, dimming the anger in his eyes a little.

Encouraged by his softening, Andrea stepped towards him. “Niklaus…my heart is yours. My soul is yours. I cannot help what I am any more than you can help what you are.”

He turned away from her and rested his hand on the trunk of a tree. “I’m not brave enough to live without you. Now that I have allowed myself to open my heart to you and imagine a future for us…you’re asking me to someday give you up to death.”

“And you’re asking me to accept your vampire self. You’re asking me to accept that you will sometimes have to kill to survive. It’s the same. Love has to be accepting the best and the worst parts.”

He turned his head to look at her and she was a little shocked to see the glistening of tears there. “You are the best. You are only good and I don’t feel worthy of you.”

Andrea shook her head. “I didn’t feel very good a moment ago. I was ready to punch you in the face.”

He bit back a smile.

“What I mean is, I might have the same capacity for violence that you do when my transition happens, when I become a wolf, but that will be outside of my control. Allowing you to turn me, that would be a choice. I want a short lifetime of peace and goodness rather than immortality of violence and danger. Maybe you see it as weakness but that is a thing you will have to accept about me if you say you want to be my husband. I will need to accept the violence of your nature. I am willing to do so.”

He cupped her face, his fingers trembling on her skin. “You might change your mind, about my turning you.”

She couldn’t see that ever happening but for the sake of her love for him, she lied. “Perhaps. But for now? I ask you to love me as we are now.”

He lowered his forehead to hers. “I don’t think I have a choice about that either, love. You have utterly bewitched me.” Niklaus closed his mouth over hers and Andrea melted, her heart soaring at the knowledge that he still loved her and she hadn’t lost him.

He slid his hands down and gripped her waist, pulling her close so she could feel how hard he was. She blinked in surprise and he smiled at her before lifting her up off her feet. She wasn’t sure of his intention until he urged her to wrap her legs around his waist.

Her mouth fell open and show looked around in a panic. “But it’s day light!”

Niklaus nipped at her lower lip. “Was my little wolf under the impression this was only done at night?”

She blushed and lowered her gaze, too shy to admit that she did indeed. “But outside? What if someone sees?” She tried to control her breathing which was already uneven with the stirrings of arousal.

“No one will see, love. We’re well hidden from the house.”

“You’re mad!” she whimpered as his mouth moved down her neck.

“A madness for which you are to blame, Little Wolf, now come, open your legs for me.”

She heard him working at his pants as she spread her thighs wider for him to give him room to maneuver. She was already wet and swollen when he drove deep into her with a groan. Andrea cried out, feeling the tremble in her soul begin instantly. Maybe it was the fact that they had fought and were now reunited, or it was the illicitness of being outdoors, but her core was already throbbing around him before he even started to move.

He smiled at her. “Like that?” He eased back and pushed up, hard, making her moan.

She bit into the fabric over his shoulder. Andrea thought she saw a movement behind him and when she looked up, her breath caught.

Elijah.

She stared at him, panic and embarrassment and some dark thrill that shamed her even more moving through her all at once. She saw it on his face as well. He’d probably come to make sure she was all right and now…well.

He seemed frozen as well and there was a look in his eyes that she’d only ever seen on Niklaus’s when he looked at her. Desire. Love. _Oh no._ She tried not to let Niklaus know anyone was behind them and especially not his brother. She met Elijah’s gaze and tried to tell him without words what she needed him to know.

_I’m sorry. You are my friend, but he has my heart and soul._

He seemed to understand as the corner of his mouth quirked in a sad smile. She buried her face in Niklaus’s neck and when she looked up again Elijah was gone.

They never spoke of the moment, though the knowledge was there between them. Elijah was still her friend and they let nothing on between them and Andrea was so glad for that.

She adored him like a brother and would have been heartbroken to lose that relationship.

Thankfully the ease between them was still there. When her brother Mathis visited them for the wedding, Andrea wished she could ask Elijah to give her away instead but her mother insisted such a thing could not be done.

Rebekah and Rachel fawned with her over the exquisite wedding dress when the seamstress finally delivered it to the house. She felt beautiful wearing it and put it on a few more times to make sure it still fit well before the wedding, making sure that Niklaus didn’t see her in it because Rachel insisted that was bad luck.

She woke up in the middle of the night before the wedding to find Niklaus wasn’t in her bed. He did that on occasion if he woke up before dawn and went back to his own room so they wouldn’t be discovered together. Andrea got up out of her bed and went to seek him out because it was the night before the wedding and she didn’t care if people saw them together now.

She approached his bedroom and paused when she heard voices coming from the main floor. She recognized Niklaus’s voice and assumed the second male voice was Elijah at first but no…not Mathis either…but there was something familiar about it but through her sleepy brain, Andrea couldn’t place it.

She looked over the balcony but could only see Niklaus, not who he was speaking to.

He gave a little start when he saw her and she thought she saw a flare of panic in his eyes before he covered it with a loving smile so she was certain she had imagined it. “It’s all right, love. Go back to bed.”

She yawned and then silently blew him a kiss. The low candle light made it seem like his eyes were glistening and damp as they met hers and he nodded.

She was disappointed that Niklaus hadn’t come back to her bed but she didn’t have time to dwell on much as her mother and sister woke her early to get her ready for the day.

Rebekah insisted there wasn’t even time for breakfast as she dragged her around the house getting this and that done.

“For goodness sake, Rebekah, what about our guests?” Andrea insisted as Rebekah sat her down in front of the bathtub and poured scented oils into it.

“They are being well taken care of by our staff and you’re not expected to be seen until you’re standing in front of the pastor with my brother,” she smiled urging her to get into the water.

“Have you seen him this morning? I feel like I’m jumping out of my skin with delight! I can barely contain how happy I am!” Andrea sunk into the water with a squeal of delight. “Is he nervous? I’m nervous. Isn’t that ridiculous? I don’t even know what to do with myself. Did he give you any sort of message for me? Can you take one to him for me?”

Rebekah laughed. “Those are so many questions I don’t even know where to start. I haven’t seen him but as I was getting your robe from your bedroom I did see a rather large envelope with your name on it waiting for you on your bed.”

“What is it?” Andrea asked, excited.

“Well of course I don’t know as it was addressed to you.”

“Oh I wonder what it is!” She reached back and touched Rebekah’s hand as the other woman sponged her shoulder. “I’m so glad we’re going to be family.”

Rebekah kissed her cheek. “We’ve always been family, sweetheart. This will just make it official.”

Once she had dried off and slipped on her robe, Andrea raced to her bedroom to find her gift, running into Elijah in the hall. She hugged him. “Good morning, darling Elijah. Forgive me but Niklaus left me a gift in my bedroom!”

“Ah yes,” he said with a weak smile that made her a little uneasy and she wondered if he was thinking about the feelings he harboured for her. She’d hoped they were past that, but refused to dwell on it on such a happy day. “Rebekah, a moment?” Elijah urged, looking past Andrea to his sister, a somber look on his face.

A large envelope lay on her bed and she broke the seal on it and pulled out the large sheet of parchment inside and gasped. It was a portrait of her in bed naked and sleeping. When had he done this? At the bottom was written the simple words, _My beloved Little Wolf._  Tears filled her eyes. He had obviously done this while she was sleeping. She wondered how long it had taken him. He made her look so beautiful, her dark hair spilling across the pillow. She promised silently that she would thank him properly tonight.

When he was her husband. No more sneaking about. She was looking forward to that.

She put the painting away and had slipped the wedding gown on when she heard a knock on the door, disappointed that it wasn’t Niklaus but his sister again.

A beat of unease moved through her when she saw Rebekah’s red rimmed eyes and reddened, splotchy cheeks. She appeared to have been crying. 

“Is something wrong?” Andrea asked.

“No…no. It’s fine. I just…you look so beautiful. Here. Let’s do your hair next, shall we?”

Every few moments Elijah interrupted them looking more and more uneasy and Andrea felt the tension in her belly grow tighter and tighter as the minutes passed.

“Please, Elijah. Is something wrong? Did something happen to Niklaus?” she urged.

“No, no. He’s fine, I assure you,” Elijah said.

Andrea exhaled. “Thank goodness. Are the guests all gathered downstairs? The pastor has arrived hasn’t he? Where is my brother?”

“He’s getting ready,” he replied.

Rachel appeared next and Andrea was relieved to see that she seemed perfectly happy and excited for her so nothing terrible had to have happened.

Her brother appeared behind her. “Are you ready? We’ll just wait at the top until the orchestra starts.” He hugged her and over her brother’s shoulder she spotted Elijah and Rebekah sharing another look.

As long as Niklaus was downstairs waiting for her, they would deal with anything else.

He wasn’t downstairs.

She scanned the crowd for him as the orchestra began and Mathis guided her down the stairs. The guests seemed to be looking around as well though many of them gasped when they saw her, distracted momentarily by her appearance.

Her mother seemed to be in serious conversation with the pastor when Andrea finally stopped with Mathis before them.  “Where is Niklaus?” Andrea asked, her heart beginning to race in a panic.

She turned to Elijah who had one hand over his face. She pulled away from her brother and walked over to him. “What is it?”

“I was hoping he had changed his mind from his current course but it appears he had not. Andrea-”

“Elijah, where is Niklaus?” Andrea asked, beginning to tremble.

 “Sweetheart, perhaps we should go somewhere and chat for a moment in priva-” Rebekah suggested touching her arm.

Andrea jerked away from her. “Elijah…” Her face was hot with a mix of panic and embarrassment as all eyes were on her.

“He gave me this to give to you if you did not find him here today.” Elijah pulled an envelope from the inside of his suit.

She took an instinctive step back, more afraid of the unknown contents of that envelope than anything in her entire young life. She didn’t know where the courage came from, but Andrea took the envelope and opened it.

 _Andrea,_ A tight fist of fear squeezed her heart. Not _Little Wolf._ Not _Sweetheart_ or _Darling._

_You were right when you said that love meant you had to accept the other person as they were. As much as I am capable of such emotion, I loved you._

Loved. Past tense. The room began to swim.

“What is going on? Where is Niklaus?” That sounded like her mother.

Andrea shook her and forced herself to continue silently reading.

_But I cannot watch you die. You were the only light in an existence of misery that has been my life. To imagine that life being snuffed out one day, leaving me alone yet again. No. I cannot bear it, and so I think it best I leave you now. For both our sakes. I set you free from our bond. I will search out a way to sever that bond and send word through Elijah or perhaps my sister when I have found it and you can give your heart, your pure, beautiful loving heart that I am honoured to have held even for just a little while, to someone new._

_I imagine you will hate me now and my only consolation is that perhaps that hatred will help you to move on. Over time, perhaps it is selfish to think that once you have gotten past the hatred, you will remember me with even the tiniest bit of affection and understand that I did what was best in setting you free and protecting you from the monstrosity of my existence._

_Never forget that I loved you and that love is why I leave you now. Forgive me for not being a stronger, better man._

_Niklaus_  

The letter trembled in her hand and Andrea’s knees buckled. She would have hit the floor if her brother hadn’t steadied her. She turned to Elijah. “This letter is a lie. You tell me where he is. He had to tell you what he was planning so you tell me where he is right now.”

Elijah shook his head, looking so sad and sympathetic that she wanted to scratch his eyes out. “I don’t know.” She saw something else too. A flicker of something. Guilt.

“You’re lying!” she screamed at him, lunging for him.

“Andrea, stop this right now!” Mathis hissed grabbing her arm. “You’re embarrassing yourself.”

“Um, perhaps we should all take a moment and discuss this in a more private setting?” The pastor asked.

“Rebekah? Did you know he was going to do this? Please. Tell me this letter is a lie. Tell me-”

“Come now, darling, let’s go into the parlour and take a moment to calm down, shall we?” Rachel offered.

All the politeness and concern was making Andrea want to scream and she feared she would go mad if she didn’t set eyes on Niklaus right this second.

She couldn’t bear to look at the guests and see the pity and embarrassment for her, or the malicious glee over this gossip that they would be taking back home with them. She stormed out of the ballroom, Elijah, Rebekah and her family close behind her as the pastor tried to offer some kind of explanation to the guests.

She whirled on Elijah when they in the parlour. “It was you, wasn’t it?”

He shook his head. “What?”

“Last night. He was talking to someone. I couldn’t see who but I knew it was a man. I was half asleep but I’m sure I recognized the voice. It had to be you. You did this! Didn’t you! You talked him out of marrying me. You made him change his mind, you fucking bastard!” She snapped making her mother gasp.

“Andrea!”

“No!” Elijah insisted.

Tears filled Andrea’s eyes. “We were finally going to be happy. We’d been reunited and we were all going to be a family and you had to ruin it, damn you!”

“I have always only ever wanted my brother’s happiness. How could you think I would do something to ruin-”

“You know how!” she shot back, pinning him with a glare.

Rebekah looked from one of them to the other, picking up on the undercurrent and the sudden flush on Elijah’s face. “All right. Let’s just take a moment before we say anything we’ll regret.”

“I love my brother and I love you. I would never do anything to ruin either of your happiness. I tried to dissuade him from leaving but he had made up his mind that it was for the best and would not be moved,” Elijah insisted.

She looked at him as the words proceeded to shatter her heart into tiny pieces. His disappearing and reappearing during the day, the shared looks and whispers with Rebekah. They were hoping Niklaus would change his mind and return up to the last minute. “I will never ever forgive you for this,” she whispered. She turned and walked out of the room, tears streaming down her face.

She could not lose him. She sobbed her heart out on her bed as the guests were sent home, ignoring all knocks on her door to see how she was doing. Only one thought invaded her mind and would not let go, she could not lose Niklaus. It would be like cutting out her heart and trying to survive without it. Impossible. Perhaps it was a kind of madness, but that didn’t stop her. She had to find him and bring him back to her. Somehow. Even if she had no clue where he had gone and Elijah and Rebekah insisted they didn’t know either. She could not stay here, rooted in suspended grief. She waited until all the guests had left and packed a small bag and money that she hoped would last her until she found him and when the house was quiet, she snuck out on one of the horses.

Andrea had made it to the first inn in town as the sun began to rise and began to question the patrons if they had seen any sign of Niklaus as she described. No luck. She headed outside to get back on the horse when a voice she hadn’t heard in fifteen years stopped her cold.

“What a fortuitous surprise, Ms Labonair.”

She whirled around with a gasp of horror and met the face of Niklaus’s cruel, monstrous father, Mikael.  


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve**

**Your Memory Is A Monster. You Forget. It Doesn’t**

_ 999 years later. New Orleans _

__

 

__

They’d warned her about the vampires. When she joined the New Orleans police, they’d informed Hayley about the vampires in the French Quarter. And the witches. And the werewolves.

If she’d been anyone else, she would have thought everyone on the police force was out of their fucking minds. No doubt any other regular citizens would have believed so. But she wasn’t a regular citizen. She was one of them. A vampire. Her dirty little secret. She wasn’t sure how her fellow officers would react but the way they spoke of ‘those things’ in the French Quarter ranked somewhere less favorably than the human dregs of society they dealt with every day.

There was an uneasy peace between the humans and those beings. The mayor and other government officials in the city knew, but apart from them, very few humans were privy to the nightwalkers that roamed the streets, feeding when necessary.

Hayley shuddered. She hated that part. _Hated_ it with a disgusted self-loathing that had made her contemplate suicide many times as a teenager even before her parents had kicked her out when they had found out what she was.

Scratch that. When her _adoptive_ parents had found out. She liked to imagine her real parents who had died when she was a baby would have loved her no matter what. She didn’t know _how_ she’d become a vampire but it had to be a recent development because, well, vampires never grew old which would stand to reason that whatever age the vampirism came into play, was the age you would stay.

She could perhaps get the answers she wanted if she went into the French Quarter more often than her job necessitated and asked the creatures there. But that would reveal her secret. So Hayley let that space in her mind remain a big fat question mark.

As far as she was concerned, her life began the night her best friend Camille found her sleeping behind a dumpster, too tired to move because she hadn’t fed in weeks. She owned the bar Rousseau’s and brought Hayley to her apartment nearby to shower and change and get a hot meal. When that didn’t satisfy her appetite, Camille figured out what she was. That moment was the scariest of Hayley’s life as she didn’t know how Camille would react. She smiled and told her to call her Cami and promised that she would be right back, leaving her alone in the woman’s apartment for a little over an hour.

She came home with two bags of blood from the hospital where her friend worked. She let Hayley go into the bathroom to consume them because she couldn’t bear to have anyone see her and fed as the tears of gratitude streamed down her face.

She owed Cami her life. Her friend let her stay and for a little and let Hayley work with her at Rousseau’s to pay half of the rent and groceries.

She was happy for a little while, but restless, needing a purpose and needing to help rid herself of the guilt of being what she was. Cami’s uncle, a local priest had certain connections Cami told Hayley she was better off not knowing about that helped get her a fake ID and fake school records with impressive grades to enlist in the police academy. Hayley Marshall was reborn.

She got her own apartment and joined the New Orleans police department a few years later. Hayley visited Cami every few weeks and they talked often. It felt nice not to be alone in the world and balance out the monstrous side of herself by helping people.

But there was unrest in the Quarter. Part of the reason the peace worked between the supernatural beings and humans was because the self imposed ‘king’ of the neighborhood, a vampire named Marcel had an arrangement with the human faction that none under his rule would perform any magic. It was absolutely forbidden. Now the witches were getting rebellious, tired of being stifled. The mayor warned Marcel if he didn’t quash any rebelliousness, he would live to regret it.

“They’re going to increase police presence in the Quarter if Marcel doesn’t put a leash on his witches,” Hayley warned.

Cami sighed and handed her a beer before flopping down on the couch beside her. “If I thought it would make any difference, I’d remind him of that, but it’s nothing he doesn’t already know.”

“It’ll make a difference because he’ll think you’re worried about him. No, I’m sorry, because he’ll _know_ you’re worried about him,” Hayley teased.

Cami blushed and reached over for the remote, switching on her tv. “Marcel and I have an understanding. That’s all. His guys help out with some of the jerks in the bar. That’s all.”

“You liiiiieeee,” Hayley exclaimed, lifting the beer to her lips.

 Cami looked at her pointedly. “You’re right. Just two nights ago Marcel and I had sex right on this couch.”

Hayley choked on her beer. Coughing and sputtering while Cami reached for some Kleenex, she tried to see if Cami had just been bullshitting for shock value. Cami cocked an eyebrow and seemed amused but there was also clear, honest truth in her gaze.

“No shit?” she asked in awe. “Vampire sex? What was that like?”

“You mean details?”

“Fuck yeah, details! Spill!” Hayley insisted.

Cami took a sip of her beer, playing coy. Hayley nudged her. “It was incredible. Not in any sort of supernatural way, the basics are pretty much the same but…oh God…” She shivered dramatically. “Have you ever…you know, with your own kind?”

Hayley bit her lip. She wanted to say no but the truth was, there were so many gaps in her memory dating back to ever since she _could_ remember. She knew her parents had died, but not what their names were. She remembered being thrown out of the house, but not what her adoptive parents looked like. Everything before the night Camille found her by the dumpster was a series of vague images and scenes playing out in her mind.

“I don’t _think_ I have.” There had also been no sex in her life from that moment she woke by the dumpster because she’d been afraid of how/if her vampirism would manifest itself in bed with a guy.

But she knew she’d _had_ sex before.  There were vague images of that too. Blond hair and sad blue eyes. Sometimes, a wave of love for whoever he was would grip her so strongly she couldn’t breathe. Who was he? Was he missing her? Or had he died? Had _she_ killed him? It was that fear that kept her from probing that memory too strongly. She did not want to know. Ever. She didn’t remember ever taking a life as a vampire, but the possibility terrified her. She hadn’t taken a life yet as a cop, but she knew some on the force that had and regardless of whether the person on the other end of the gun had deserved or not, each cop got the same haunted flicker in their gaze whenever they talked about it, which wasn’t often.

“Did anything…you know…change on his end? I mean, did his vampire self show up during or anything?” Hayley asked cautiously.

Cami reached over and squeezed her hand. “No. Not once. If you can be the way you are now, pass for human and no one being the wiser, that won’t change with sex. Is there anyone I need to approve as a viable candidate?” she teased.

Hayley snorted. “Hardly. I haven’t had the time and yeah, I’ve been worrying about the vampire thing showing up but if you’re sure nothing would happen…”

“What’s his name?” Cami pressed, an excited gleam in her eyes.

“Seriously!” Hayley laughed. “There’s nobody. I just…well, you and Marcel kinda give me hope, I guess.”

“Good!” Cami said. “You should have hope. I mean you’re sexy as hell and I know for a fact that men fall over themselves trying to get to you before you give them your infamous ‘I will cut your balls off and hang them from my rear view mirror’ looks.”

“I do not do…” Hayley cut herself off as she imagined the way she did close off whenever a guy looked her way. “Hmm. Well, whatever.” She took another drink from her bottle, grimacing a little because the beer was getting warm. She set the bottle down on Cami’s coffee table.

“This weekend we’re going out and finding you someone awesome. A body needs companionship for both physical and mental well being. We’re wired for it, you know? Brain chemicals actually get released when-”

“Zzzzzzz,” Hayley said dramatically dropping her head on Cami’s shoulder and pretending to fall asleep.

Cami punched her shoulder, making Hayley laugh.

“Sorry, you know I don’t deal well with any kind of psycho-analysis because my brain is a vast wasteland of repressed memories and rage.”

“And that’s why you and I are such good friends,” Cami grinned.

“Yeah, a psych major. Did I mention I’m also a masochist?”

Cami leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I love you too.”

Cami suggested they go to a blues club. Hayley knew the place well though she hadn’t gone there much when it wasn’t in a professional capacity. Some of the more notorious ‘businessmen’ in New Orleans liked to conduct most of their dealings in the backrooms of places just like this in the city.

The music was fantastic though so Hayley let herself relax and even danced with a few guys but found that while they were hot, there was no real spark so numbers weren’t exchanged.

“Well hello, there, Officer. Should I warn my uncle to sneak out the back?” A lanky red-haired guy asked nodding to the bar tender.

Hayley rolled her eyes at Jeff, the nephew of a known drug-smuggler. “Only for those god-awful ties he wears. I’m off duty.”

His green eyes lit up and Hayley tried not to laugh. The guy had a blatant crush on her and made no secret about it even though she’d arrested him at least three times in the past year for possession though his uncle Bobby always managed to get him off.

“I had no idea you even knew what ‘off-duty’ meant,” Jeff said, taking a seat next to her at the bar.

Hayley could see Cami next to her out of the corner of her eye lower her head and fight a smile.

“How about a dance as proof that you really do know how to let loose? I mean, you wouldn’t want me to spread the word that you’re all talk, right?” Jeff asked with a cheeky grin.

“Right, I’d rather have it get out that I’m doing the bump and grind with a drug-runner. Sorry.” Hayley winked at him.

The light dimmed a little in his eyes and she felt Cami kick her.

“Ow!” She glared at Cami who looked pointedly at her. Hayley sighed and turned back to Jeff. “You know what? On second thought…” She got off her bar stool and extended her hand to the younger man.

He was a good dancer and charming and had a pretty good voice as he sang along with the house band’s cover of a B.B. King tune. Hayley forced herself to forget, a least for a minute that he was a criminal and once she was able to do that, she found him really likeable.

But when he started hinting around that he’d like to take her to his place for the night, Hayley had to put the brakes on though she had to admit her hormones were opposed to her restraint. Dancing with a drug-runner was one thing. Sleeping with one? No way to justify that one so Hayley turned him down.     

She turned and headed back to the bar, dodging Cami and her dancing partner, a tall brown haired guy. Turning, Hayley bumped into another guy, her face meeting his neck and getting a whiff of really good cologne, fitting considering the expensive look of his suit.

“Oops, sorry there, GQ,” she joked looking up into his face. His face was one of the handsomest she’d ever seen and her lady bits stood up at attention. A strong jaw, inviting mouth and soft brown eyes that seemed to widen a bit, she thought in male appreciation but quickly changed to unmistakable surprise. She swore she could actually see the color drain from his face as he stared down at her. His mouth opened and closed as he seemed unable to speak for a moment and he blinked several times as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“Oh my God,” he whispered, his voice smooth and strong. “Andrea?”


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen**

**All The Beauty That’s Been Lost Before Wants To Find Us Again**

The name should have meant nothing to her. She’d never heard it before, at least not in relation to her, but hearing it now, sent a flare of panic through her and Hayley took an instinctive step back. “Sorry, wrong girl,” she assured, trying to sound light and uncaring.

He gripped her arms and his eyes roamed over her face frantically. “Andrea Labonair?”

Her heart raced and she couldn’t understand the sudden terror that gripped her. She didn’t think. Hayley jerked an arm out of his grip, hauled back and punched him as hard as she could.

“Elijah? Hayley? Jesus Christ! What the hell?” Cami asked rushing over when the guy…Elijah’s head snapped back and blood spurted from his nose.

“God damn it!” he groaned, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket to stop the blood.

“A friend of yours?” Hayley asked, trying to regulate her heart beat. “Let him know that manhandling a woman falls under the bad touch category and if that woman is a cop, it won’t end up well for him.”

“A cop?” His muffled voice was thick with confusion through the handkerchief. His watery eyes looked over at Cami. “This is the Hayley you’ve been telling me about?”

Now it was Hayley’s turn to look at Cami.

“Okay, we can play twenty questions later. First let’s get you to sit down,” Cami insisted, ordering Elijah to keep his head back and guiding him to the bar to sit him down where she then instructed the bartender to bring her water and some ice “All you need to know right now. Hayley-cop lady. Good people. Elijah-vampire. Also good people.”

Hayley took another look at Elijah. He was a vampire. Like her. There were a few other of their kind here but he didn’t quite fit somehow. There was an air of polish about him.

 The others wore their violent nature with an air of smugness and challenge. Rather like their human gang-banger counterparts, Hayley decided restraining the urge to roll her eyes. With Elijah, there was a sort of icy calm, a restraint as if he could control the monster within and would only unleash it when necessary.

There was something kind of sexy about that, Hayley decided and felt a beat of arousal stir within her…even if he didn’t look particularly sexy at the moment with his head tilted back trying to staunch the flow of blood from his nose.

Gradually the blood lessened and he assured her it wasn’t broken. “I apologize for grabbing you the way I did. I can only blame my momentary shock over how much you look like someone I knew.” He winced as he gingerly touched his nose as if assuring himself and her that it was indeed fine.

Hayley nodded. “Yeah. Okay. I don’t know whether to hope you find this Andrea girl or not but if you want I can check our missing persons files if you want to look into it.”

He looked her over, studying her with an intensity that made her shiver in a way she didn’t think she’d ever feel except in her dreams. “Yes. I’d appreciate that.”

“Great, so come by the station tomorrow and we can have a look. Was she like a girlfriend or something?”

A cloud of something flitted across his face. Something dark and sad.

“No. She was just someone very special to me.” He shook his head and seemed to shrug off the cloak of sadness that threatened to grip him and gave her a small smile. “How about a dance now that we’ve established I have not suffered any lasting bodily harm?” He extended his hand towards the small dance floor in front of the band.

“Oh, I…” she hesitated, caught off guard by his request considering the way that they just met. She suddenly felt a finger insistently poke into her back. Cami. She just stopped herself from turning around and rolling her eyes at her friend, smiling at Elijah instead. “I suppose it’s the least I could do after being the cause of that bodily harm.” She slipped her hand into his and again that delicious shiver moved through her.

He was a good dancer. Moving with a smooth yet powerful grace. Again, she got the sense of leashed power, but there was something…kind about his eyes. She discarded that initial panic she’d felt in his presence and let warmth take its place. They made small talk but it didn’t seem monotonous. He had a dry sense of humour that she liked. He’d returned to New Orleans after many years, he said and she was sure he wasn’t aware he’d done it but he squeezed her fingers almost unperceptively and her instincts went on alert.

“Some kind of threat?”

Elijah smiled wryly. “We are always under some kind of threat or another.”

“Anything I need to know about?” she pressed.

The corner of his mouth quirked. “No, Officer. Nothing I can’t handle.”

“Good because the last thing this city needs is a war between vampires and humans or wolves or witches or whatever else decides to pop up from the swamps.”

“And what side of that war would you fall on, Hayley?” he asked, pinning her with a meaningful look.

Her mouth went dry. “What do you mean?” Had Cami told him that she was a vampire? No, it wasn’t something her friend would advertise for her sake, but she had told Elijah about her. It occurred to Hayley now that Cami had meant telling Elijah about Hayley as a romantic set up. Good lord, Hayley almost laughed…though she had to admit the idea wasn’t without its appeal. Elijah’s question now, however…

He gave her a knowing smile and his fingers trailed along her cheek, his hand coming down along her jaw, wrist brushing against her mouth in a tease where he stopped and... _Oh God…_ The urge to bite was so strong, to gorge herself on his blood…She had gotten better at controlling the urge but to have it presented so wantonly to her. Her eyes met his.

There was such lust and intensity and a sense of disbelief on his face, as if he’d suspected, but the truth of it was a shock to him.

It was too much. Hayley pulled away. “I…sorry…I gotta go.” She turned away and almost ran out of the club, hearing Cami’s voice behind her.

 Cami called her and Hayley assured her friend that she was fine and no, she didn’t hate her for trying to set her up with her hot vampire friend, but in all honesty, Hayley admitted that meeting Elijah had left her unsettled.

It took her a long time to fall asleep and when she did, she dreamt of Elijah, sexy dreams that merged with the dreams of the blond man with sad eyes. When she woke up it was with a heavy sense of guilt that she tried to shake off for the rest of the day. At the station she found she had a hard time concentrating, her mind wandering to the events of the night before.

She looked mindlessly at her computer screen, tackling paperwork from an arrest she’d made last week and the name Elijah had mentioned popped into her mind.

Hayley opened up the database and typed the name into the search box. Andrea Labonair. She stared at the name, feeling the same rush of panic that had swamped her when Elijah had called her by the name.

“Good afternoon, Ms. Marshall,” Elijah’s smooth voice made Hayley jump in her seat and she looked up with a start.

“Jesus!” She pressed a hand to her heart.

“My apologies, I didn’t mean to startle you. You did suggest I come by today, did you not?”

She blinked at his formal speech but then remembered what he was. He must be one of the older vampires. “Uh yeah. Sure. Have a seat. Coffee?” She asked, pointing to the chair in front of her desk before rising from her chair.

He nodded. “Thank you. Yes.”

“Um, I guess I should offer my own apologies for my freak out yesterday. It’s just…” She looked around to make sure no one was paying any attention.

He nodded, taking the coffee cup from her and closing his fingers around hers. “I understand and you needn’t worry. I promise.”

She gave him a relieved smile. She had no reason to believe he would keep her secret, to trust him but she did. “Okay, let’s have a look here then, shall we? Who was this Andrea Labonair to you and when did she go missing?”

“She was my brother’s Niklaus’s fiancée.”

_Niklaus._

The name sent a piercing stab of grief through her and Hayley closed her eyes to try and contain the shocking urge to scream.

 Her chief, McCready suddenly called out from his office that there had been an explosion at an art gallery just outside the Quarter. He pointed at Hayley, and two other officers, ordering them to the scene.

“Art gallery?” Elijah asked, leapt up from his chair. “I’m coming with you.”

Hayley paused while pulling on her gun. “Uh no. This is police business. You’re not to interfere.”

“I have no intention of interfering, but a friend of mine runs that gallery. I’m coming with you,” he insisted.

Hayley figured it was wasting too much time to argue with him so she stuck him in the back of the patrol car which he did not appreciate but kinda amused her, watching him scowl the whole way there.

Thankfully there had been no casualties as the gallery had been closed for lunch and the owner had been at a diner two streets over but some really expensive pieces had been lost and evidence had been left that the explosion had not been an accident.

A note taped to a parking meter a few feet away. _Giving New Orleans back to its people. Humans. Next time, the gallery won’t be empty._

Hayley slipped the note in a plastic bag to be sent to forensics and went to talk to the gallery owner who was understandably furious and shaken up. Elijah was talking to him, calming him down.

“What are you going to do about this?” the guy demanded, looking at Hayley. “Insurance will cover the cost but that will be small comfort to the artists I work with who have lost their paintings.”

“It’s horrible that that happened, but let’s be grateful that you were closed. Our focus now has to be on where he’s going to strike next. Since you work with the artists, any events you know about coming up that this bastard could be getting ready to target?”

“There’s a pretty huge exhibit coming up this weekend. Artists and museum curators from as far as Florence and Paris are coming,” Elijah informed her. “My brother will have a few of his paintings on display.”

“Well, we’re going to have to get them to cancel it. It’s way too big a risk,” Hayley said.

Elijah snorted. “Yes, I can see that going well. There’s no way they’re going to cancel.”

Hayley cocked an eyebrow. “Even on police order? I think I’ll just have a little chat with your brother so he can grasp the-”

“No!” Elijah snapped, panicked, making Hayley jump.

“I’m sorry?” she asked.

He tried to school his features into calmness but there was no denying his reaction. He cleared his throat. “I’ll talk to my brother.”

She studied him for a moment then nodded. “Yeah, you do that.”

Elijah was right. The man hosting the event, a tall handsome brown haired guy who practically screamed old Louisiana money approached her order that he cancel the event with a condescending smile she imagined she was supposed to think was charming.

“Sweetheart, I don’t think you appreciate just how important this event is. I can understand that considering that the people expected to attend aren’t really familiar to you but let me assure you, you don’t cancel on the crème de la crème of the art world.”

Hayley lifted a hand to her mouth as her lips made a perfect ‘o’ of sudden mock understanding. “You’re so right. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. Forgive my ignorant ass. I can’t believe I didn’t think of all the affluent people who would be attending. I mean, like, oh em gee!” she exclaimed dramatically. “But I do think before the event you should totes change the date on that Picasso over by the butt ugly vase in the corner because while it was first exhibited in 1916, it was actually painted in 1907.” She tried to cover her own surprise at the knowledge she hadn’t noticed she possessed.

A flush of embarrassment stole over his face and he shouted for one of his workers. “Max! What idiot put the exhibition date on the label on that Picasso? Fire him immediately!”

“Now, Adam, you can’t keep firing people or there will be no one left to even serve the pate,” a smooth British voice said behind Hayley.

She turned and it was like an electric charge went through her as she stared at the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. He stood a few inches taller than he with blond tousled curls that made fingers itch to touch them, blue eyes… Those eyes looked so much like the eyes in her dream. They didn’t look sad now though. They looked smug, cocky and with an instant male lustful appreciation that usually turned her off when other men did it, but it wasn’t lecherous. There was a promise of things he could do to a woman that she would enjoy very very much. A sense of familiarity moved through her and she feared she was staring at him even though she was certain she’d never laid eyes on this guy in her life. She would have remembered him.

“Klaus, some idiot put the wrong label on the Avignon. Thank goodness I caught it now.”

Hayley cocked an eyebrow at Adam who determinedly avoided her gaze.

“Yes, thank goodness _you_ caught that little slip up,” Klaus said. He looked back at Hayley and winked at her, letting her know that he was fully aware that she was the one who had caught that mistake.

“Wait, Klaus? As in Niklaus?”

His eyes lit up. “Only my family calls me Niklaus but, you’ve heard of me. I’ve only been back in New Orleans a few days now. I’m honoured. Please, call me Klaus.”

“Yeah, I met your brother, Elijah. Interesting guy.”

His eyes lost some of their delight and flickered now with irritation. “Elijah? I see.”

“Look, you’ve heard about the guy who bombed the art gallery yesterday, right?” Hayley asked, trying to get back on track, but it was kind of hard to concentrate when this guy was looking at her. There was this really weird _energy_ between them and it wasn’t just attraction… or was it? It’d been so long since she’d felt anything close to this that maybe she didn’t recognize simple attraction anymore. The closest thing she could compare it to was what she felt that night dancing with Elijah but even that was a dimmed version of this. That night felt like it had opened her up somehow, awakened her so that now next to this man… _Christ, Marshall! Next you’ll be quoting poetry._ She tried to shake off the daze she was in but Klaus seemed to be held just as spell bound even as they tried to play it off like there wasn’t this…thing going on as they spoke. Spellbound. Yeah. That was a pretty good word for it. Maybe there were some witches around, throwing around their mojo or something.

It took her a moment to realize that Klaus was telling her that he agreed with Max that they wouldn’t be cancelling the exhibit.

She stiffened, anger pushing through the lustful haze and she was thankful for that. Anger, she understood. Anger didn’t frighten her the way this… _thing_ did. “What part of ‘kaboom’ do you not get, Dimples?”  

He blinked at the nickname and she was surprised that no one had ever called him that before because this man’s dimples were deadly and gave his severe handsomeness and endearing quality. Not to mention that sinful mouth…

Right. Angry. Focus.

“Well, you said that he left a note. Your best chance of catching the guy is to let the event go ahead as planned because he’s going to be there to survey his handiwork,” Klaus said.

“You expect us to put all those people’s lives at risk just because you want to show off some pretty pictures? Are you insane?” Hayley snapped.

“I’ve been called worse, love,” Klaus remarked with a wry grin. “My point is, you bring your gaggle of gun-toting enforcers, undercover of course and you can sweep the place and most like catch the guy in the act and stop him for good.”

Chief McCready was all for the idea and Hayley didn’t know who she wanted to punch more. Her boss or Klaus Mikaelson.

Cami and Marcel were going.

“No. It’s too dangerous. It’s already the height of insanity that we’re going to go ahead with this thing but how am I supposed to concentrate if I know my best friend is there?” Hayley insisted as Camille and Marcel sat on her couch, dressed in their finery as Hayley got ready.

“The same way I try and concentrate when my best friend goes out and risks her life every day,” Cami countered getting up and meeting Hayley’s gaze in the mirror as she helped her with her hair.

A sweet warmth moved through her chest. Until Cami, she’d never had that. Someone who cared for her well-being. Someone who would care if anything happened to her.

“Besides, Marcel wants to help you find this sicko. Now who’s your date?”

Hayley cocked an eyebrow and fought an embarrassed flush that she hadn’t even though to worry about a date. “I’m not there to socialize. Remember? I’m on duty.”

“Oh sure, a gorgeous woman alone at a posh event like that. Shouldn’t arouse any suspicion at all,” Marcel pointed out.

Hayley rolled her eyes and tried to ignore the compliment but her cheeks warmed, giving her away.

A knock on the door made Hayley meet Cami’s gaze in confusion but her friend smiled. “Twenty bucks says that’s Elijah,” Cami said.

Hayley threw her a skeptical look and went to answer the door. Her mouth fell open in surprise and her body practically sizzled with a sensual shiver when Klaus greeted her on the other side.

She forced herself to turn back to her friend. “You owe me twenty dollars.”


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Chapter Fourteen**

**I Can Resist Anything, Except Temptation**

“Good evening, Ms Marshall. Can I come in?” Klaus asked with a charming smile.

“Bad idea, Hayley. You don’t know what he wants,” Marcel warned.

“Oh come now, Marcel. With the exception of fair Camille, we’re all vampires here. Aren’t we?” Klaus looked at Hayley and her heart stopped.

Of course he could tell. Her secret was safe amongst humans but her kind could always tell. It was why she stayed away from the Quarter as much as possible.

“How did you find out where I live?” She countered, not appreciating the power he now held over her.

He cocked an eyebrow as if to say that it was a stupid question considering what he was.

She glared at him and stepped aside to let him in. “What are you doing here?”

He grinned. “I’ve come to escort you to the exhibit. Are you going to introduce me to your friend?” He motioned his head towards Cami. “Klaus Mikaelson.” He extended his hand to her and Cami took it warily but politely.

“Yeah, Elijah told me you had returned to New Orleans.”

“Elijah!” Hayley said suddenly. “That’s right. I’ve already got a date. Sorry.”

He smiled again and Hayley wondered if he could read her mind. She couldn’t do that so knew it couldn’t be a vampire thing.

“Ah lovely. We’ll wait for him and then we can all go together.”

Hayley heard Marcel snort behind her and resisted the urge to turn around and punch him. She liked him but she hoped Cami would do it for her.

“How about we just meet you there?” Hayley offered.

They were interrupted by her phone going off. Cassie, a fellow officer wanted to know what was taking her so long to get to the event. She and four other disguised officers and six guys from the bomb squad were already there. Damn it. Hayley had to leave now.

She hung up and forced a smile at Klaus. “You know what? Let’s just go, okay? I remember Elijah said he’d be running late because of some business he had to take care of and would meet me there.”

With a smug smile Klaus extended his arm to her.

“Most awkward double date ever,” Cami whispered behind Hayley once they got out of Marcel’s car and headed into the gallery.

“Not a date,” Hayley insisted, trying not to shiver at the warmth of Klaus’s hand on her back. It had been a special kind of hell sitting next to him in the back of Marcel’s car. A strong thigh pressed against hers. His hand didn’t stray over to hers in any sort of lascivious way but stayed simple on his own thigh, achingly close to hers so that she could almost feel the heat of his skin seeping over to her bare leg. It was almost worse. Hayley tried to ignore the voice in the back of her mind that said it was because she _wanted_ him to touch her. It was so bizarre because she wasn’t even sure she liked Klaus.

He was undeniably hot. That was a no brainer. The man oozed charisma and sensuality from every pore and the way he looked at her gave new mean to the term eye-fucking, but she thought he was too… much. Too everything. Too hot. Too charismatic. Too sensual. Too arrogant, not to mention dangerous.

“It occurs to me I’ve been remiss in my duties as your escort by not telling you how absolutely exquisite you look this evening,” Klaus said after handing the door man his invitation and Hayley showed him her badge.

Hayley’s cheeks warmed at the compliment but she tried not to show she was affected by it. “You’re not my escort. You bummed a ride cause we were late.” She scanned the crowd and spotted a few fellow cops in their finery.

“Looking for Elijah? I’m afraid he’s been detained.”

Hayley looked at him sharply. “What did you do?”

“Oh nothing. Just a little mishap with his laundry detergent. Mixing reds and whites so I’m afraid he’s desperately searching for something to wear now that won’t make him look like fluffy pink bunny.”

Hayley couldn’t help the laugh that escaped even though she knew his story was bullshit.

His face lit up at her laugh and…wow…he really did have an incredible smile. There was something sweeter about this one that got her warm in the chest. The arrogance was gone. The smugness lifted for a second and in that moment, Hayley felt herself become more drawn to him as the world around her seemed to close in to just the two of them. Spotting Elijah coming in through the doors with a blonde on his arm was a jolt and a disappointing one. Hayley couldn’t tell though if it was his appearance, jolting her out of the moment with Klaus that was disappointing or the fact that Elijah had some hot blonde with him.

“Hmm. Didn’t you say Elijah was going to be your escort this evening?” Klaus asked. The smugness was back, having caught her in her lie.

“Shut up,” Hayley said and braced herself for the two of them coming over to her and Klaus.

The blonde looked pale and her eyes widened as she looked at Hayley with what sounded like a “Good heavens.”

Elijah sent the blonde a warning look and then the two of them faced Hayley with bright smiles on their faces.

“Hello, brother. Hayley,” Elijah said, greeting them both. “Hayley, you look lovely. Let me introduce you to my sister Rebekah. Rebekah, Hayley Marshall.”

Hayley extended her hand and Rebekah took a moment to react, her eyes roaming over Hayley in a way that made her really uncomfortable, as if she were searching for something.

She stepped forward though and kissed Hayley’s cheek. Women greeted each other like that all the time but Hayley never felt all that comfortable with it. She wasn’t a big hugger either.

“I have a few vampires keeping a look out to see if they spot our guy,” Marcel said and Elijah nodded and said he’d spoke with a few of his own as well.

“Great. I’m going to go see what the situation is on our end,” Hayley informed them.

“Do save me a dance, love!” Klaus called out making Hayley lift her eyes to the ceiling and fight a smile.

The bomb squad had swept the place and assured Hayley and the other cops that no explosives had been found but were on high alert. She was glad that they all blended in pretty easily, weapons concealed beneath tuxes and bodices and lace garters.

“Can I see yours?” Klaus asked with a grin as they danced.

She poked his side. “No, you pervert.”

He schooled his features into mock innocence. “I merely want to assure myself that we really are all in safe hands.”

“Aw. Don’t you worry your pretty little head, you precious flower. I’ll protect you,” Hayley teased, feeling that sweet pang in her chest at his chuckle. “So how long have you been back in New Orleans? Marcel told me you left like…hundreds of years ago.”

“A few days. It’s good to be back. There’s no other place like New Orleans.”

“That’s the truth. Marcel has done a good job of keeping the peace. I really hope you and your brother aren’t here to mess that up.”

He stiffened. “No. I assure you, I am here to make sure that New Orleans thrives. Marcel has done a passable job in my stead but I have returned to claim what is mine.”

Hayley tightened her fingers around him. “Meaning what? So help me, Dimples, If you start a war between the vampires-”

“Which side would you choose, fair Hayley?” Klaus pressed.

“I’ll choose the human side and wipe out the whole damn bunch of you before I let you guys ruin this city with your little measuring contest,” Hayley warned.

Klaus smiled. “Such fire. I do think I like you, Hayley Marshall. Of course if you were to do that you’d be turning on your own kind, wouldn’t you?”

“The humans are my kind,” she whispered.

Klaus snorted. “You can stamp your foot and shout it from the roof tops but that will never make it true. You will never be one of them and you know it. Why on earth would you want to be?”

She stared at him and was surprised to find he seemed to be asking a genuine question. “Why would I want to be normal? Are you kidding?”

“Not at all. You have powers beyond any mere human. You’re immortal. You’ll never be at the mercy of anyone. Why would you want to give those things up?”

“Why would I want to have peace? Why would I want to not have to drink blood to survive? Why would I not have to have the potential threat of having to kill someone to live?...” She shook her head. “This is way too deep a conversation to have with someone I just met five minutes ago.”

He chuckled. “I suppose. I choose to see it as a sign that we should continue it during our second date.”

She burst out laughing at his gall. “This is not a date, Dimples. I’m on duty. Which reminds me. I should really see how things are going.” Hayley pulled back just as the host invited them to move to the gallery to see all the paintings.

There was an impressive mix of classic paintings acquired at auction like the Picasso she had recognized earlier and a few Monet’s. Klaus was impressed with her artistic knowledge and honestly, she couldn’t remember where she had picked it up, deciding it must have been something her adoptive parents had passed on. The purpose of the event though was to showcase the newer artists though and there were some beautiful pieces on display.

“Someday I shall have an exhibit just like this,” Klaus said and Hayley couldn’t miss the wistful tone in his voice.

“You paint?” Hayley asked, a shiver of excitement she couldn’t explain moving through her.

He nodded. “It’s a great passion of mine.”

“Can I see them?” She blinked in surprise as soon as the words left her mouth. Okay, where had that come from? Every instinct told her it would be a very bad idea to see this guy again. As hot as he was there was a definite air of danger around him and the last thing she needed was to hook up with a bad boy. Her job provided more than enough excitement that she didn’t need to go looking for it in her love life. That was one of the reasons she didn’t date any of her fellow cops. The fact remained, though, she wanted to see him again.

He beamed, delighted. “Certainly. We’ll have dinner tomorrow evening? I’ll cook.”

She couldn’t help the surge of pleasure that gripped her, hot and low in her belly. She shouldn’t like his overbearing manner. It should get her back up but…she _wanted_ to see him again. Damn him. She’d never felt anything like this before. This instant attraction that made her want to soak up every second in his presence. It made her feel alternately weak and immovably powerful. It frightened her even as it aroused her so much she practically trembled with it.

He looked at her then. Eyes meeting hers with such intensity that Hayley couldn’t breathe. He studied her face as his hand lifted to her cheek. “I know.” He said simply. She wasn’t sure what he meant. Did he know how she felt? God, she hoped not. God, she hoped he did. Her feelings seemed all over the place.

When Elijah came rushing towards them it was almost a relief. “He’s here.”

Hayley was instantly on alert and forced a smile as she pretended to study a painting. “How do you know?”

“In the black coat. It’s why the host moved everyone to the gallery. Less chance of his escaping without being seen,” Elijah explained.

“Any ideas on where he’s placed the bomb?” Klaus whispered as Hayley casually glanced around, her breath catching when she spotted the man in a long black dress coat admiring a painting…or pretending to.

She watched his eyes dart to and fro. He slid a hand along the front of his coat and the light made the sweat on his forehead glisten. Another idea presented itself and Hayley’s blood suddenly ran cold. “What if he didn’t place the bomb anywhere? What if he’s wearing it?”

“A suicide bomber?” Klaus asked behind. “Why?”

Hayley shot him a look, “You want to try and reason this out? The man has no problem sending up an entire building full of innocent people.”

“Well yes, but what about self preservation at least?”

“Maybe he has some reason we don’t know about. We can figure that out later. For now I have to let my team know and figure out our next move. Don’t you two do anything stupid.” Hayley ordered them.

They were going to take him out. A quick, clean head shot and done.

“And if you miss?” Klaus countered.  

 Hayley pinned him with a glare. “We won’t miss. Max is our best shot and even an idiot wouldn’t be able to miss a shot like this right up against the guy’s head.”

“Yes, and you think the guests won’t notice that you’ve suddenly shot someone? How do you think they’ll react when they realize you’ve put their entire lives at risk without their consent by going ahead with this event when you knew the bomber was going to attack again? I’m sure the press would-”

“Oh shut up,” Hayley snapped.

“If you do this publicly, you’re asking for a copy-cat,” Elijah warned. “Not to mention a lawsuit from some of the richest people in New Orleans. Let us handle this.”

“What? No!” Hayley hissed. “This is my job. You two stay out-”

“Oh Rebekah, darling! A moment?” Klaus called out, waving his sister over.

“Oh Christ,” Hayley groaned. “I swear to God after this is over I’m arresting all of you.”

“Lovely. You can do it right after your mayor hands us our medals and keys to the city for saving you all,” Klaus replied with a grin.

Rebekah was fully on board with the plan. She would compel (Elijah explained what that was, controlling a person’s mind to make them do what you wanted) the bomber to leave with her under the guise of some amorous alone time in another room and kill him then in private.

They watched as Rebekah turned it on for the guy, being the consummate seductress. Hayley was a little in awe of her. She didn’t think she had a seductive bone in her body. Rebekah stroked the guy’s arm and slipped her arm around his waist, guiding him away.

Max looked at Hayley in confusion. With a nervous look over at the closing door Hayley explained what the new plan was.

Rebekah came back alone and Hayley would have felt relief if the woman’s face wasn’t stark white. “We have a problem.”

“No, no. That’s not what you’re supposed to say. You’re supposed to say. Job done. See, Hayley? You were wrong to doubt us and think that we would screw up a very important job where dozens of lives were at stake,” Hayley insisted.

“He’s dead. The bomb’s not.”

“What?” Hayley hissed.

“He must have detonated it before I got to him.”

“God damn it!” Hayley groaned.

“This would be when you bring in your bomber boys to dismantle it. See? Just like you wanted, things work so much better when we all work together,” Klaus smiled.

“I think I officially hate you,” Hayley said.  

The head of the police squad on this mission, Kevin, was not happy with turn of events and glared at Hayley. “Bang up job, Marshall. You wanted to bring these fucking blood suckers in on this, you be the one to explain to McCready when I write up my report on how you went against the plan.”

Hayley’s face burned at the chastisement. She tried to tell herself that Chief McCready was a fair man but he was no fan of the vampires.

“Oh? You mean the plan to shoot the man in front of everyone?” Klaus asked, scorn dripping from his voice. “Perhaps you should show a little more gratitude to a fellow officer for taking some initiative and saving the police force from getting sued into poverty when the guests here realized that you put them all at risk.”

Hayley blushed at Klaus’s defense of her but lowered her head so people couldn’t see.

“You were the ones who put them at risk by not cancelling this stupid thing in the-” Kevin shot back, green eyes blazing.

“Okay, can we play the blame game later?” Rebekah interjected. “We have a dead man ready to explode in the back room.”

Kevin scowled at them and then went to get one of the bomb squad. They had five minutes to get everyone out of the building.

Five minutes without letting them know the reason for the evacuation. Elijah met Klaus’s gaze and gave his brother a wry smile. “You smell that, brother?”

Hayley looked at both of them in confusion. She didn’t smell anything out of the ordinary beyond way too much perfume and cologne.

“I smell a gas leak. Oh dear,” Klaus said, smiling.

Hayley sniffed the air and gave a little start of surprise when the smell of gas did indeed start to fill the air. She’d freak out about the mind control thing later and maybe even get Klaus or Elijah to teach her how to do it but for now she grinned at them both. “Nice.” She whistled to get the guests attention and informed them of the unfortunate gas leak that had just been discovered and for their safety the event would now have to come to an end.

  With gasps of alarm and a few grumbles of annoyance from the more irritating, arrogant guests they began to file out in orderly fashion to their cars, guided by Camille and Marcel. Hayley followed Klaus and his family to the back with the bomb squad. Klaus gripped her arm and pulled her back around to the door.

“You should leave with them,” he insisted.

She shook her head. “No way. I’m not letting that jackass Kevin get any sort of dig in about how I didn’t do my part to help.”

“He’s out there doing crowd control when he should be the one staying behind-” Klaus insisted with a scowl.

“What? Because I’m a girl?” Hayley countered.

“No,” he narrowed his eyes at her and pointed at his sister.

Hayley had to admit, Rebekah was pretty bad ass.

“How’s it going?” Hayley asked Derek, the head of the bomb squad. She grimaced a little as the gas smell filled her nose and she saw Klaus rub his nose too though Elijah and Rebekah seemed unaffected by the compulsion.

Maybe if you were the one that did the compelling it didn’t bother you, but that didn’t explain how come it didn’t bother Rebekah. Before Hayley could ask, a woman came rushing back into the gallery.

“My husband! He’s asleep in the back! Please, you have to get him out. You have to wake him!”

Hayley bolted across the room to the back where there was a resting area close by the coat check and the restrooms.

“Hayley!” Klaus called out and she could hear him following her.

The man was passed out on one of the leather benches. He was heavy set and as strong as Hayley was, she was glad Klaus was there to help her when she couldn’t wake the older man. “The gas smell must have knocked him out. Damn it.” She coughed violently as the smell got to her in a fresh wave.

“You can smell the gas?” He asked.

“Yeah. Why? So can you,” she pointed out as they carried the man out of the rest area.

“Yes, but vampires can’t be compelled. I’m a hybrid. I’m half-”

“You all need to get the hell out of here right now. We’re down to one minute and this fucker isn’t giving up easy. It’s a system we’ve never seen before. We have to get him out of here let him detonate as far away as we can,” one of the other members of the bomb squad informed them. He looked to Klaus and Elijah.

 “Oh yet again it’s the filthy bloodsuckers you come to for help,” Klaus said bitterly.

“You can play the ‘I told you so’ game later, asshole. Thirty seconds.” Derek warned.

“Oh for heaven’s sake,” Elijah rolled his eyes and with that he scooped the suicide bomber and ‘wooshed’ right in front their eyes, moving so quickly he was a blur of tuxedo and dark hair before disappearing into the night.

A flare of panic went through Hayley and she hoped that Elijah would be okay. Only a handful of guests had stuck around now, wanting to witness the excitement, too stupid to appreciate the danger they had been in.

Exhausted, Hayley sat down on the curb, lifting her head as she heard a few of the artists complain about what the gas had surely done to their paintings. “Really?” she asked, looking up at Cami who was rolling her eyes. “I mean…really?”

Camille snorted. “Artists. You wanna ride home or do you have to stick around?”

“Oh I have a long night ahead of me of paper work and getting chewed out by my boss thanks to that amoeba Kevin.”

“We can get Marcel to compel him to take your side,” Cami offered.

Hayley giggled. “Ah, the joys of having a vampire boyfriend. Maybe I should get me one of those.”

Camille nodded towards Elijah who Hayley was relieved to see had returned safely.

Hayley looked at him. He was handsome. Undeniably so and seemed more even tempered and less arrogant than his younger brother. He was attracted to her. She wasn’t the kind of girl for whom a man’s attention was vital but neither was she oblivious when it did come her way.

Elijah caught her looking at him and made his way over. “Is everything all right?”

“We should be asking you that. How did it go?” Hayley asked.

He nodded. “Mission accomplished,” he said simply.

Really, she didn’t expect details because how do you explain what it was like to watch a corpse blow up? She wasn’t sure she wanted to know, judging by the dark look that clouded his face. He’d seen death, she realized. A lot of it in his lifetime. She stood up and hugged him. “Thank you.”

She felt him exhale and a shudder went through him before he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back. Past him, she saw Klaus watching them, a scowl on his face and she felt a fierce, twinge of guilt low in her belly and an odd sense of dejavu.

In the next instant a deafening boom and flash of blistering hot air and light rocked through the night and sent Hayley and Elijah and everyone around them flying backwards from the impact. 


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Those Who Restrain Desire Do So Because Theirs Is Weak Enough To Be Restrained**

In that second, Hayley knew with stark clarity that a relationship with Elijah would never work because her first thought as the world narrowed to stark terror was _KLAUS!_ Her first thought was for him, a man she barely knew, and his safety, even before her very best friend Cami which shamed her to her very core when she could think again. When Elijah looked down at her and asked if she was all right she nodded and he eased back and she got her first look at Klaus, shaking his head and crawling to get to her with that same desperate wild look in his eyes that had echoed the feeling inside of her.

“Are you all right?” Klaus asked gripping her arms, lifting his hands to her face, his fingers trembling against her skin or was she the one shaking?

“I’m okay,” she whispered, waiting for the dizziness to clear.

“Are you sure?” Elijah asked, on his knees next to her.

“I’m fine. I’m fine! Cami!” she cried rushing to her best friend who was unconscious in Marcel’s arms. She, the human was the only one any of them should be worried about.

There was so much shouting going on around her as the other officers on the scene were trying to figure out what had happened and blame was tossed around because they hadn’t swept the outside of the gallery thoroughly enough, focusing only on the suicide bomber once they had discovered him inside.

She assured herself that Cami had just been knocked out by the blow but insisted on riding with her in the ambulance, knowing she was going to catch shit for leaving the scene of an investigation. She didn’t care. Cami was her only family. Right now, she was all that mattered.

She sat in the waiting room with Marcel, her mind spinning with everything that had happened and too many confusing emotions to make any sense of.

Rebekah and Elijah stayed with her which she found comforting. Rebekah brought her black coffee and it didn’t feel weird to lay her head on the other woman’s shoulder. Klaus was less comforting but his presence no less necessary to her. Hayley didn’t understand it at all, but being able to see him, to assure herself that he was indeed whole and alive quieted some inner panic even as the antagonistic looks he and Marcel shot each other warned her that there would eventually be trouble between the two men. And through her exhausted fog it seemed there was a weird sort of tension between Rebekah and Marcel as well. A sexual tension.

Klaus was in New Orleans to go to war against Marcel. Humans were blowing themselves up to get rid of vampires. What a cluster-fuck New Orleans was about to become and she and her fellow cops were going to have to control it all? Exhaustion swamped her and she couldn’t fight the yawn that escaped.

“Hey, babe. Cami’s gonna be okay. Why don’t you take my car and head on home and she’ll call you as soon as she gets home tomorrow,” Marcel said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and squeezing.

Hayley rubbed the back of her neck. “Nah. I just need some more coffee. I still have to head back to the station.”

“I compelled your Chief McCready to wait until tomorrow,” Klaus informed her.

She looked at him in surprise. “Oh. Thanks for that. I should chew you out cause technically you’re obstructing justice but I’m too wiped to care at the moment.”

The corner of his mouth quirked and he extended his hand to her. “Come. I’ll take you home.”

Elijah moved in his chair and seemed about to object but Rebekah quickly grabbed his arm to stop him.

“Okay, yeah. Sure,” Hayley got to her feet, clutching Marcel’s keys.

Marcel sent Klaus a warning look. “Do anything to my car and you’ll regret it.”

“All right, let’s go,” Hayley insisted before the two of them started barking at each other.

She leaned her head back against the head rest on the passenger side and within seconds, her battle to stay awake was lost.

Hayley woke in the darkness, a soft breeze scented with what she guessed were orchids coming through the window. She stretched and then frowned in confusion. This bed was…not hers. She sunk into the most luxurious mattress amid blankets and sheets that felt positively sinful. She looked around, the moonlight filtering in so she could just make out the lamp on the night table beside her. She fiddled around until she found the switch and gasped when soft light illuminated her surroundings. Where the hell was she? Then she remembered. Klaus had driven her home…but apparently not to _her_ home. A quick look under the blankets assured her she was still dressed. She supposed she shouldn’t be grateful he hadn’t molested her. That gave her pause. For all the danger he exuded, he hadn’t hurt her and somehow she had instinctively known he wouldn’t have. Enough to fall asleep in his presence. Stretching, Hayley sighed in pleasure. She was no longer tired. Looking at her watch she saw she’d been asleep for about four hours and apparently they’d done her good. Curiosity warred with her dismay at leaving the bed.

She found Klaus standing before a canvas, painting. She watched him silently for a second, noticing how the brush stilled in his hand for a split second when he noticed her presence.

“I guess I should have asked you to be more specific when you said you’d take me home,” Hayley remarked.

“Sleep well?” He asked, setting the brush down.

“I did. Thanks. That bed is a dream. In fact…” Hayley took in the elegant almost gothic surroundings. “This whole place is something else. Suits you though. Mr. Dark and Mysterious.”

She walked around to one of his finished canvases, careful not to touch it in case it was still wet. “As does the whole artist vibe.” Hayley cocked her head. “These are different though. Different from the ones you usually see in the galleries.”

“These aren’t for public viewing. It…” he shrugged. “Painting helps me sleep.”

“Should I feel special that I get to see them?” Hayley asked coming up behind him to see his latest creation. “Or is that your game? Bring women up here and play the dark, tortured artist to get them into bed?”

Klaus snorted. “I could point out that you just got up from my bed.”

Hayley smiled. “Good point.” She studied the unfinished painting before her. It was dark. Twisted. It looked like a forest when she looked at it one way, and forbidding mountains…no, not mountains, caves streaked with crimson. Unmistakably blood and a small girl standing against the moonlight.

“Who’s the little girl?” she asked, a hot well of sadness filling her chest for some unknown reason.

He stared at it for a long time before answering with a shake of his head. “I don’t know. Maybe she’s a metaphor for innocence amongst the vileness of the world.”

“That’s pretty dark,” Hayley pointed out.

“Sorry. I don’t do fruit bowls,” he remarked with a wry grin over his shoulder at her.

She laughed. “No, I wouldn’t expect that you would. You’re much too…”

He faced her and cocked an eyebrow expectantly.

“Emotional,” she replied. She almost wanted to instinctively say she meant no offense but she realized she didn’t mean it as a bad thing.

Though he jerked back as if she’d slapped him and his eyes widened. “Sorry. That’s most definitely not me.”

“Ah. You’re one of those,” she snorted. “Feelings. Bad. Right. Or at least that’s the act, right?” Hayley stepped closer, seeing the raw, painful truth in his eyes even if he tried to hide it. “When the truth is, you feel everything. Too much so. You’re just this big ball of rage and pain and you paint because it’s your way of screaming when you can’t do it out loud. It’s how you release it, yet still control it.” She saw it all in those eyes. Those sad eyes that echoed the ones in her dreams. She knew those eyes. What did it mean? That this guy she’d never met before had those same eyes. Did he know her? He didn’t seem to.

Yet here they were, drawn to each other.  

“I think you’ve been hanging around your friend the shrink too long. You think you know me and all my dark secrets, do you? And what of you, hmm?” He lifted his hand to her face and stroked her cheek. “How do you channel your pain? Cause I can see it as well, love. You’re as broken as I. We’re the same.”

Hayley shivered at the touch and her body responded instantly with wet slick flesh, her blood pumping thicker, hotter in her veins. “I don’t paint,” she countered, her heart racing.

“No. You throw yourself into danger. Protect my fair city, not for any altruistic motives but because you like the rush.” His fingers trailed down along her throat, his thumb brushing her pulse.

“Haven’t you heard? Danger’s not for girls,” she mocked.

He smiled. “When you’re staring death in the face, everything becomes clear and your own screaming rage goes silent, doesn’t it?”

“Maybe I’m just as twisted as you are and I like to help people to balance things out.”

His fingers trailed over her lips and Hayley fairly trembled with the need for him to kiss her. “That’s the white washed version and you and I both know it.”

She was silent.

“Well. Now we come to it. Our secrets exposed. Are you going to run, Hayley? I can drive you home right now if you wish. The choice is yours. Going? Or staying?”

If she stayed, she’d be returning to his bed. And this time not to sleep.

She stepped closer, her mouth to his ear. “You like to be in control, you tell me.” She pulled back, met his gaze full on and waited.

He looked deep into her eyes, challenge there as if it amused him that she thought she could toy with him. She met his gaze with a challenge of her own.

_Make no mistake. I’m giving you my choice, only because I’ve already made it._

He gripped her by her hips, hard and pulled her against him. She only just bit back the gasp, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of her surprise. If he’d meant to scare her with the heat of lust in his eyes, he’d picked the wrong girl.

She’d waited too long to feel this. His breath was warm against her face and her pulse quickened. Looking into his eyes, she wondered now if her dreams had not been strange memories of the past, but a prediction of the future. She studied his face. His hair had been longer in the dreams. Hayley remembered sliding her fingers into it and how it had touched her face when it fell over her. Remembered. Imagined. She didn’t know. All she knew was that this man was who she had been waiting for. Every guy who came on to her and who she turned down. Every potential night spent not alone, unfulfilled because she had been waiting for this. This man’s mouth coming down on hers, claiming, taking as if he too had been waiting. A low possessive growl left his mouth and Hayley matched it with a softer one of her own. His kiss buckled her knees and he held her up and lifted her off her feet setting her on the nearest table.

She tugged at his shirt, pulling it upwards, eager to feel naked skin and he took up the task, stripping it off and tossing it aside. Hayley pulled off her dress and her hands went instantly to him, touching, stroking, marveling at the heat and muscle. His mouth claimed hers again and he gripped her bottom, pulling her to the edge of the table and then pushing her onto her back. She missed his mouth but then _oh God,_ his hands were everywhere, leaving a path of searing heat on her skin and Hayley eagerly gave herself up to the fire, desperate to be consumed. Her entire world seemed to throb and pulse with an electric energy as he cupped her between her legs. She spread them wider, wanting more.

“Ah we’re ready then?” He smiled, looming over her.

She reached down and circled his cock with her fingers. It was hard, like velvet steel. “Are we?” She tightened her fingers, feeling triumphant as his eyes closed and he swelled thicker in her hand.

She ached to feel him inside, a craving stronger than the need to feed and Hayley didn’t think she’d ever feel anything stronger than that horrible emptiness that gnawed at her to find the quickest blood source she could, but this craving…it overpowered everything. “Please,” she moaned, hating the breathy moan that escaped her.

Klaus smiled and drove into her, hard. His smile dropped and he practically shook in her arms and Hayley cried out in an instant orgasm that stole her breath and made her lock her legs around his waist to keep him inside of her. For a second neither one of them moved as a shimmer of hot, blurry electric air seemed to explode through the air and settle over them like a cloak. He looked down at her, his blue eyes nearly black with intensity. His fangs descended, but retreated just as quickly. “Who are you?”

 _Yours,_ was her immediate thought and she was thankfully able to hold the word back before it left her lips. God, how stupid would that have been? She barely knew the guy and yet…she’d never felt such a connection to anyone else.

She lifted her mouth to his and he caught her gasp into his mouth when Hayley felt him lift her off the table and carry her towards his bedroom. She hadn’t even realized they were still on the damn table! It should have felt uncomfortable but she felt nothing but utter, sensual bliss, a haze of sex and need so thick that nothing else registered. He held her up, gripping her ass, smiling against her mouth he slid his hands up along her waist, his grip easing so that the only thing holding her up on his body was her legs around his waist.

“Feel me, love,” he urged and with a slight nip of her lips, he undid her legs from his waist and lowered them, letting them brush along his legs so that… “Ah yes, just like that. Feel me inside of you. I can fucking walk you to the bed just like this cause you’ve got me so damned hard, you beautiful thing.

She cried out in pleasure as he rocked his hips and filled her so hard that it did feel like _oh God,_ the only thing holding her up was his cock. She held on to his shoulders for a sense of security but…he was like steel inside of her. His eyes held hers as they moved to his bed where he finally set her down, her muscles releasing him reluctantly.

He wasn’t gone for long. She rose on the bed, clutching at him like a greedy child, needing him, his hands, his mouth, all of him.

Klaus drove back into her and they both groaned in satisfaction at being reunited. It was so good that the room practically throbbed with the passion between them. Surely this wasn’t normal. She had brief flashes of memory of sex with the man who reminded her of this man and it was just like this. This all-encompassing, blissful insanity. She knew just how to touch him, how to move, what his skin felt like beneath her fingers. There was such a familiarity that it shocked her. She knew exactly how he liked to be touched, how to squeeze him, how to make the dangerous, arrogant vampire on top of her whimper and groan. Knowledge no woman should possess the first time they had sex with a particular man. It should take time, shouldn’t it? To know what a particular man liked in bed? What their turn ons were? But Hayley knew what Klaus liked.

The taste of him was a mix of smooth scotch and the chocolate mints they gave out at the gallery. He smelled of paint and warm leather and clean, male sweat as he drove into her again and again. She arched beneath him, digging her nails into his back, urging him for more, harder, deeper, to never ever stop. All the walls she used to protect herself came down and in that moment she loved him and it was like a terrifying free fall and exhilarating at the same time. Addictive.

The way he looked at her, resting his forehead against hers as they moved together made her believe he felt the same, revealing naked, raw emotion, fear, love. No man had ever looked at her the way Klaus Mikaelson did in that moment. As if he needed her more than his next breath.

She gorged herself on that feeling. To be wanted. Desired. Accepted. Hayley came for a second time with a cry of his name and felt him follow her over the edge a second after.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Chapter Sixteen**

**When I Discover Who I Am I’ll Be Free**

Hayley woke up back in her own apartment, back in her own bed. Alone. The events of the night before playing themselves over and over again. Had she imagined what had happened between her and Klaus? Not the sex. The evidence of that was still apparent all over her skin and inside her body. The way he’d made her feel. The things she’d seen in his eyes. Had it all been an act? The sexy, moody artist, had all been a put on just to get her into bed? The further the day went along, the more convinced she had been right after all. Not a word. No text. No e-mail. Not even a fucking carrier pigeon saying ‘hey, had a great time last night. Let’s do it again sometime, babe.’ No. Not babe. He’d say ‘love’ wouldn’t he? Pouring on the sexy British charm and she couldn’t open her legs fast enough. She tried to push down the anger at his vanishing act and chalk it up to nothing more than a one night stand. But still, weren’t there like, rules or something? She knew it had been a long time since she even remembered having sex but surely just taking off was like…bad manners or something and weren’t the Brits supposed to be uber polite?

That one had made Cami laugh but quickly stifle it in sympathy for her friend.

After a crabby day at work where she waded through mountains of paper work and got a lecture on procedure from McCready, but not as bad as she’d feared despite that jackass Kevin’s threats, Hayley had headed to the hospital to check on Cami and ended up spilling her guts about the night with Klaus.

 A bandaged head was the worst of her friend’s injuries, thank God.

“I’m not saying I wanted anything serious but…ugh! Shut me up already, please!” Hayley shuddered.

“It was that good, huh?” Cami asked. She leaned forward and looked at the Jello on her food tray and poked at it. “Whoever said this was food is a dirty dirty liar.”

“I know it’s been a while but…yeah. I mean, I know you said nothing freaky was supposed to happen but…it felt like…there was this energy in the room when we were…Oh what the hell. Maybe it was just the oxytocin talking.”

Cami looked at her in surprise.

Hayley gave her a sassy grin. “See? I do so pay attention when you shrink speak.”

“Maybe that was the problem. It was too good.”

“Oh you’re not gonna do that BFF ‘you’re too good for him’ thing, are you?” Hayley groaned.

“Well you are but that’s beside my point. To hear Marcel and Elijah tell it, Klaus is a hot mess. I don’t think the whole tortured artist thing is an act considering what he and his brother went through with their parents. Esther makes Joan Crawford looks like Ma Ingalls and don’t even get me started on their father Mikael.”

 _Mikael._ The name sent a stab of fear so visceral throughout Hayley’s body that she actually felt the blood drain from her face and the breath leave her body in a choking wave.

“Are you okay?” Cami asked sitting up in bed, reaching for her arm.

“I…yeah…I don’t…Oh God…” Hayley bent double in her chair and tried to breathe through her terror. A flash went through her mind.

_NO! Please! Don’t do this!_

_Drink! Damn you. You will drink!_

_NO!_

_He was pinning her down on the dirt floor. She couldn’t breathe but still she struggled, trying to get away but his knee was holding her still, crushing her. Her own blood was staining the barn yard floor where he had stabbed her and his was dripping onto her face as she shook her head, avoiding his wrist. She would die if she didn’t drink his blood. She would rather die._

Her vision blurred and the room swam. Cami’s voice sounded very far away and sweat broke out on Hayley’s skin as she fought to bring the flashes in her mind into focus. They were already fading as she struggled to look at the man’s face. A glass of water suddenly appeared and a black hand. Marcel urging her to drink.

A different voice. _DRINK!_

“NO!” Hayley screamed and struck out, shattering the glass against the wall when it flew out of Marcel’s hand.

The images were gone instantly and the room sharpened into focus just as a nurse burst in.

“What’s going on in here?” The middle aged woman asked.

“Hey, babe. You okay? What just happened?” The last question Marcel directed at Cami.

“I’m fine. Christ. I…I don’t know.” Hayley covered her face with her hands and slowly breathed as the nurse instructed her, lowering her head between her knees.

“We were talking about Klaus’s parents and then she freaked out. Are you remembering something, sweetie?” Cami asked and Hayley heard the rustle of sheets before the nurse demanded she stay in bed. “I was told I can go home today. I’m perfectly fine. I was just here for observation.”

“And while you’re still here you’ll stay in that bed until I tell you different, thank you very much,” the nurse insisted. “Now you, why don’t you come with me and we’ll have the doctor take a look at you, hmm?” she said to Hayley.

“No, really. I’m fine. I just…I haven’t eaten anything all day. That’s all.”

This time when Marcel poured her another drink of water, from a plastic purple cup, Hayley gulped it down.

  “You were talking about Esther and Mikael? I didn’t know you knew them,” Marcel said to Hayley.

She shook her head. “I don’t. I don’t know where that came from. I just…”

“Maybe it’s a repressed memory coming back?” Cami asked, unable to hide her professional curiosity.

Hayley struggled to bring the images back but it was like a wall had shot up around the memory, rendering it unattainable. “Whatever it was. It’s gone now. Sorry for the freak out.” The memory may be a big grey cloud in her brain now, but the sense of fear remained at thought of Klaus’s father.

With Klaus having done a disappearing act, it was left to Elijah and Rebekah to help Hayley and the police department deal with the shit storm with the press and the mayor who wanted to know why the explosion happened when they’d had an iron clad plan to avoid any such disaster.

The suicide bomber’s name was Henry Alton and he lost his wife and little boy to a vampire attack a few weeks prior to the first bombing. He’d planned to blow himself up and for extra insurance had rigged a hat shop across the street to explode as well, suspecting that the police would have checked the cars outside the gallery the night of the event.

 Marcel promised that when he found out which vampire was responsible for the death of Henry’s wife and child, they would be dealt with.

Cami had returned home but Marcel suggested she miss work for the next few days until the press hounding the outside of her bar got tired of waiting to get a statement from her. Hayley was happy to keep her company and avoid the reporters hounding the police station the next day.

A girl’s night in sounded perfect.

She was helping Cami fry up a few steaks when Cami suggested she could hypnotize Hayley if she wanted to try and release more of her memories.

Hayley cringed. “I don’t know, Cami. Being put under, not having control of what’s going on. Freaks me out just to think about it.”

“I promise not to make you cluck like a chicken. Come on. It might be a big help.”

“I’ll think about…” Hayley stopped as a funny twinge moved low in her belly but just as quickly it was gone so she almost could think she’d imagined it.

“You okay?” Cami asked.

“Yeah,” Hayley assured her with a grin. “I think my stomach just growled at the thought of those steaks.”

Cami was the better cook between them though Hayley thought she did an okay job with the way Cami had taught her. She didn’t consider herself particularly domestic but Hayley had to admit cooking did relax her. Kind of like Klaus and his art. Ugh. She instantly pushed away _that_ comparison. She would stop thinking about him and that was that. She liked baking more. God help her from ever joining a PTA bake sale though. The very idea gave her the heebee jeebees. Martha Stewart she most definitely was not.

They settled down in front of the television set with their food and wine switched on their guilty pleasure Keeping Up With The Kardashians which they both swore on pain of death and instant dissolving of their friendship to never reveal to anyone. It was bad. So bad and most of their entertainment was from mocking it, but it was an addiction none the less.

Hayley narrowed her eyes and threw a balled up Kleenex at the screen when the letch Scott came on the screen, the constantly philandering and freeloading husband of one of the sisters. “See? That’s what men are like. Right there. All charm and good looks and then bam! Asshole City.”

Cami gave her a pointed look. “I do believe my intentions were quite clear that you were supposed to go out with Elijah. Not his emotionally stunted psycho brother. Not all men are like that. Marcel is one of the good ones.”

“Oh but this is _me_ we’re talking about. Of course I’d go for the emotionally stunted psycho brother. What a damned cliché, Cami. I mean…it was literally a ‘wham bam, thank you m’am’…Oh God no, it was even worse!” She suddenly laughed, reaching for more of her wine. “I didn’t even get the ‘thank you, m’am’! Maybe it’s been so long that I actually sucked at it.”

“Oh for goodness sake. Okay first of all, no. You didn’t suck at it. It’s sex. There aren’t a lot of ways to fuck that up. Secondly…Elijah told me some kind of vampire drama took Klaus out of town and he will be returning in a few weeks. So he didn’t bolt. He left because he had to.”

“You know what? Screw it. It doesn’t matter. A one night stand, that’s all it was and now I’m going to move on. Maybe with Elijah. Maybe I’ll take Elijah and wait for Klaus to come back and then have hot vampire sex with Elijah right under Klaus’s nose.”

“Okay. No more wine for you,” Cami said, pulling Hayley’s wine glass out of her hand.

“I’m not drunk. I’m…being my usual morose self. You’re the perky one. Maybe it’s the human thing. Humans are always so perky. Vampires know better. Vampires know that the world is just a vast wasteland of nothingness and misery…Whoa. Maybe I am drunk.”

“Really?” Cami asked with mock disbelief.

A wave of nausea gripped Hayley suddenly then and she closed her eyes. “Oh…boy.” She closed her eyes waiting for it to pass. It didn’t and Hayley barely made it to the bathroom before throwing up, mostly the wine.

When she came back Cami was throwing the rest of the food into the trash. “There didn’t seem to be anything wrong with it.”

“It didn’t taste off at all,” Hayley said touching her stomach which seemed to have instantly settled.

“Maybe you’re pregnant,” Cami joked and an irrational panic went through Hayley instantly before logic blissfully returned and she snorted.

“First of all vampires can’t procreate and secondly it’s been a day.”

Her friend agreed that it had simply been something that hadn’t agreed with Hayley’s stomach.

That night was filled an uneasy mix of sensual dreams about Klaus and nightmares she didn’t understand. She woke up exhausted and frustrated. There was some girl in her dreams that she didn’t know. The girl looked like her, but the life she lived was so foreign that Hayley went back and forth with thinking that perhaps it had been her, sobbing her heart out on a bed clad in a wedding gown, a part of memories she couldn’t access, to thinking she had just been some girl Hayley had known that she needed to find. That woman would have the answers Hayley needed. Andrea Labonair. Hayley just had to find her.

She went to see Elijah the next evening. It felt weird to be back in this house where she had slept with Klaus. Her body shivered with sense memory and her eyes went instantly to the door down the hall that led to Klaus’s studio. Elijah seemed happy to see her and she tried to imagine being with him. Maybe she should give him another shot. She knew instinctively that he would never treat her as Klaus had.

“You knew Andrea Labonair, right?” Hayley asked.

He hesitated while taking her jacket. “I did.”

“I want you to tell me everything you know about her. I think she’s some kind of connection to my past and I want you to help me find her.”

Elijah stared at her and she watched as different emotions played across his face. “We’re going to need liquor.” He turned towards the living room.

Just though the thought of alcohol sent a wave of nausea through her as she was reminded of dinner at Camille’s. “None for me, thanks.”

He poured himself two fingers of scotch and she watched in surprise as he downed it like a shot.

“That bad?” Hayley asked nervously.

“It’s not a pretty story.” He poured himself some more liquor and pointed to the couch. She took a seat in the arm chair by the fireplace.

“Yeah. I guessed that. So you said this Andrea Labonair was your brother’s fiancée. Did she die? You’re not going to tell me Klaus killed her, are you?”

“No. We thought she had but…”

 “But what? You thought I was her?”

“She disappeared on the night they were supposed to be married. We never learned what happened to her.”

“Why did she run?”

“Well no, she was going after Niklaus. He had left her at the altar.”

“Hmm. Well, at least he’s consistent,” Hayley said belligerently. At Elijah’s questioning look she shook her head. “So he bolts the day of the wedding. Why?”

Elijah leaned back in his chair, cradling his drink. “Because he loved her. More than he loved anything in his own life.”

“Oh, well that makes perfect sense,” Hayley remarked sarcastically.

“It does if you knew our father Mikael.”

The name sent another stab of fear through Hayley but she struggled against it so that Elijah wouldn’t notice.

“Andrea Labonair was a child in the village populated by werewolves when we knew her.”

“She was a werewolf?” Hayley blinked.

Elijah nodded and stared at her for a moment, as if waiting for something, when it didn’t happen he went on with his story. “Our family lived outside of the village, humans who weren’t welcome in the village because our mother practiced the dark arts.”

Hayley cocked an eyebrow. “Your mother was a witch? And you were born human?”

He smiled patiently as if to tell her to let him go on and he would explain all. “Little Andrea took a liking to Niklaus. She saw him as this white knight who protected her from her parents who beat her. I think Niklaus saw himself as her protector because our own father was unbelievable cruel to him. He was harsh with all of us but especially with Niklaus because he knew Niklaus wasn’t really his son.”

Hayley’s mouth fell open. “What?”

“My brother is a product of an affair my mother with a werewolf. Knowing that, my father despised Niklaus and never missed an opportunity to make him suffer. If my mother hadn’t stayed his hand on many occasions I believe my father would have killed him.”

Tears burned her eyes and Hayley tried to hold them back, imagining a little boy being so cruelly abused. She ran into a lot of crap in her line of work and she never got used to it, but especially when anyone was hurting a child, a rage bordering on violence gripped her and it’s as close as she ever came to the belief that she could actually kill someone. “That’s horrible. As if it was Klaus’s fault his mother cheated. But that’s what he meant when he said he was a hybrid. He mentioned it the night of the art exhibit but I didn’t get a chance to ask him about it.”

“We had another brother. Henrick. He was killed by the wolves who lost control during their transition. Niklaus has always blamed himself because he took Henrick with him that night to watch them turn.”

Hayley lowered her head and squeezed her eyes shut. She hated this. She wanted to hold on to her anger at Klaus for being like every other guy when she’d hoped he was different, but Elijah was making her heart break for him.

“After Henrick’s death our mother created the spell that turned us into vampires. We were run out of the village. When we were reunited with Andrea she had grown into this…” Elijah stopped and his eyes roamed over Hayley’s face in a way that made her blood race beneath her skin. “…exquisite beauty. Niklaus fell in love with her and he was as happy as I’ve ever seen him before or since. Andrea was like a balm to his soul. She quieted the demons inside of him.”

“But then why run out on her?” Hayley snapped, starting herself with the anger in her tone.

Elijah studied her in that way that made her uncomfortable as if waiting for her to do something she didn’t know she was supposed to do. He took a deep breath and went on. “After our mother turned us into vampires…we became savages. We’ve learned to control it in some ways over the years but…she realized the mistake that she had made and since then, she and our father have hunted us to kill us.”

“Your parents are trying to kill you?” Hayley asked, stunned. Though she shouldn’t be surprised. Just the thought of Klaus’s father sent a blind panic through her…but to hunt your own child?

“Any time we tried to settle in a new home, they would find us and we would have to run. The night before Niklaus’s wedding, Mikael found us.”

Hayley sucked in her breath, understanding begin to dawn.

Elijah took a last drink from his glass and set it on the beautifully carved mantel above him. “Niklaus told me that Mikael snuck into Andrea’s bedroom while they were sleeping. He awoke to find Mikael had a blade to Andrea’s throat while she slept.”

A cold shiver came over Hayley and she drew up knees on the couch and rubbed her legs to try and warm them.

“Niklaus managed to halt him before he killed her. The desire to kill Niklaus was stronger than Mikael’s desire to make him suffer, but I’m sure he meant to kill Andrea and make him watch before finally ending my brother. They fought and ended up on the first floor where I found them.”

A flash went through Hayley’s mind of Klaus looking up at her, his face pale, his eyes glistening. Telling her to go back to bed. No. Not her. Not possibly her. Her? Her heart raced as her logical mind fought the possibility. She felt everything the woman felt, looking down at the man she loved. Such love. Delight. She was sleepy and blew him a kiss before turning away.

“We fought Mikael off together. He knew he couldn’t beat us both, but my brother knew Mikael wouldn’t stop. He’d be back and this time, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill Andrea and leave her to die in front of Klaus’s eyes.”

“So he left.” The tears came before she could stop them rolling down her cheeks. “To save her life. He left. But why couldn’t he just tell her that? A note. Something to…” Wait…was there a note? She saw paper.

Elijah snorted. “Andrea was a sweet, loving girl but she was stubborn, strong minded. Niklaus knew if he told her he was running to save her life, she would come after him. In the end, she did anyway and we never saw her again.”

“But you thought you did, right? At the bar when we first met. You thought I was her?” Hayley linked her fingers together, unable to stop trembling.

“The resemblance is uncanny. Yes,” Elijah replied carefully.

“So… maybe she’s an ancestor of mine. If she had children maybe I can find some of her descendants and they can tell me ab…” A thought suddenly occurred to her. “Wait. Something doesn’t make sense…Well, a lot of this doesn’t make sense but…if your brother loved this girl so much and if you say I look enough like her to shock the hell out of you, why didn’t he even blink when he saw me?”

A guilty flush stole over his face and hesitated.

“Oh come on, Elijah. Why stop the crazy fest now?”

“When my brother learned that Andrea had come after him. He was in a panic. I’ve never seen him so terrified. He searched everywhere for her but it was as she’d disappeared off the face of the earth. Mikael found him again a century later and gleefully told him that Andrea had indeed tried to find him, but found Mikael instead and Mikael went into great detail about how he had killed the only woman my brother ever loved. I watched my brother break, right before my eyes. He begged Mikael to kill him. I managed to stake my father before he could…but the Niklaus I knew died that night despite my best efforts. In his place there was this savage, cold thing that killed without mercy. I knew of only one way to save him and God forgive me, I did it.”

Hayley stared at him, his face blurred by her tears. “What did you do?”

“I compelled him to forget Andrea Labonair. Wiped her completely from his memory.” He looked at her, challenge in his eyes, daring her to judge him.

Rage filled her and Hayley just managed not to leap for his throat.  “You fucking bastard.”

He nodded and something lit his eyes as if whatever he had been waiting for had finally happened. “And I would do it again if I had to make the same choice. I have spent my entire lifetime trying to save my brother. After the compulsion, he was still monstrous, still savage. What had broken in him went too deep to heal completely but I see glimpses of the humanity in him that I knew. Of the brother I love and I will never stop fighting for his redemption.”

Hayley got to her feet, the weight of all she had learned too strong to keep her still. She began to pace. “Wait. Everyone knows vampires can’t be compelled-”

“But werewolves can-”

“Yeah, I got that. He’s half werewolf so that explains that, but I smelled the gas, Elijah. That night at the gallery. _I_ could smell it, but I’m a vampire.”

“And a werewolf,” Elijah said softly.

Hayley stopped. “No,” she replied, fear making her voice tremble.

“Yes. You are, Andrea,” he said, his voice steady, eyes on her. 


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Chapter Seventeen**

**He Plough’d Her And She Cropp’d**

Hayley shook her head and scrambled off the couch. “Stop it. I’m not this…Andrea Labonair. I was born here in New Orleans. My family kicked me out when they learned I was a vampire. I’ve been on my own since I was fourteen. Camille found me by a dumpster when I was twenty and put my life back together. I’m a cop. Not a werewolf. Like I wouldn’t fucking know-”

“Not if you haven’t gone through your transition yet,” Elijah informed her.

“Oh you know what? Screw you. I am so done.” She stormed towards the living room doors but the whirled back around. “I bet you were in love with her, right? That’s why you’re doing this? She loved your brother though so you figured you’d wipe her out of his memory and now someone comes along who looks like her and you think maybe you’ve finally got your shot.”

Elijah shot to his feet. “How dare you?” But a flush in his cheeks told her she wasn’t far off the mark.

“Right. I thought so,” Hayley sneered. “Let’s get one thing straight, right now. My name is Hayley Marshall. I might look like this Andrea chick but that’s where the similarities…” A piercing pain shot through head and she crumpled, missing the floor only because of Elijah’s lightening quick reflexes.

_Pain…such pain…and oblivion would come only in snatches of blissful relief._

_“Dear God. What has he done to you?” A female voice. Blonde hair. She knew that voice. “Hurry!” The voice cried and the earth beneath her jarred and rolled by._

_Then blackness…She returned to her senses on a bed._

_“How do you know?” That same voice, broken now and through her haze Andrea thought she saw tears glistening._

_“It’s dead. Her transitioning killed it. We have to remove it now or she’ll die.”_

_She didn’t recognize that voice. Who died? It was so hard to focus on anything but the pain. Did Niklaus die? Oh God. Remove what?_

_Then there were hands holding her down and something pressed against her mouth. A bottle. Spirits of some kind. Stronger than wine._

_“Drink, sweetheart. It will help with the pain.” That sweet voice. A hand stroked her hair. Rebekah?_

_Her legs were spread and she fought them in her fear and confusion._

_“I don’t want to die!” she sobbed._

_“You won’t, sweet girl. You won’t. I promise.” A kiss on her forehead._

_A hand between her legs. Inside. Agony. Andrea screamed and then the gift of oblivion returned and she remembered no more._

Elijah was stroking her face and gently shaking her. “What happened? Hayley? What did you see?”

She trembled as she looked up at him, cold sweat breaking out on her skin. “I…Oh God…I have to go. I can’t….I can’t….” Hayley scrambled to her feet and grabbed her jacket.

“Where are you going? You’re obviously in no condition to leave. Sit down for a moment and get your bearings.”

She clutched her purse close to her. “No, I’m…really…I’m okay. You’ve given me a lot to think about.”

“So you believe me then, don’t you? That you’re truly Andrea Labonair?”

Hayley looked at him for a long time. There had been an instant connection with him too. Not a romantic one but nonetheless powerful. She found herself wanting to forgive him for his deception even though it still stung badly.

She turned away and stormed towards the door.

“Hayley!”

“Elijah, I can’t give you any answers cause I’m having a hard time figuring out which way is up right now, okay? I’ll…call you when I figure all this crap out.”

He lifted his hand in understanding. “Just…the wolves in the bayou. They might be able to help. If you want me to take you there. I will.”

She went back to her apartment and sat in the dark for a long time contemplating the impossible. The memory of…God was she actually acknowledging it as a memory? Being on that bed, feeling that pain. She wasn’t just imagining what it must have been like for Andrea Labonair…she had felt what that woman had felt. The burning, searing, tearing loss. Had there been a child?

_It’s dead._

Hayley lowered her head onto her knees. And Rebekah had been there. She would be able to tell her more, just like Elijah had, because they had been there. Elijah hadn’t mentioned anything about a child though. Did he not know?

The idea of their having been a child was so ridiculous to her. She was not good enough to be anyone’s mother. Hell, Cami had given her a plant once that hadn’t lasted more than three days before dying. Perhaps it was a blessing that the child, if there had been one, had died. A sob burst from her. There. What kind of mother would think something like that? She grabbed a pillow off her couch and threw it across the room with a cry of rage. To hell with Andrea Labonair! If that was who she had been, that wasn’t who she was anymore so every Mikaelson could go screw themselves.

She didn’t go see Rebekah. She kept Elijah’s revelations about Andrea Labonair to herself, though Cami could tell something huge had happened to bother her and Hayley couldn’t miss how her best friend was hurt that Hayley wouldn’t share what it was with her, though Cami tried to hide it.

It was three weeks before Klaus returned. Hayley didn’t go see him and neither did he track her down, not that she had expected him to. Passing ships. That’s all they were. An incredible one night stand… _Liar. You’re supposedly the love of his life. You should sent him a text or something about that._

No, no she should not. Just the bits that she knew about her life as Andrea Labonair and her love of Niklaus Mikaelson told her it would be better for her health and her sanity if they stayed away from each other.

Had she accepted that she truly was this other woman? What about this whole other life that she’d thought was hers? Parents who didn’t want her…well, that part seemed real enough as evidenced by how Elijah had told her Andrea’s parents had treated her. Just the wrong parents. So what about the life she did remember? All an invention? A compulsion thanks to…Rebekah?

She knew Klaus had returned without anyone having told her. She felt it. Like some bizarre otherworldly thing and it pissed her off to no end because she needed him not to matter. If she never heard the name Mikaelson it would be too soon.

Work helped. She didn’t even mind the paperwork so much at the end of a patrol or an interrogation because it all served to take her mind off the new revelations that had made a cluster fuck out of her life.

The nausea had come back. She thought whatever had unsettled her at Cami’s had passed but it turned out it was just dormant for a few weeks. Almost a month later…ugh. She couldn’t remember the last time she had a cold or the flu but she imagined the chills and achiness would probably come next. She didn’t think vampires got sick…ever. Maybe it was the werewolf part of her that controlled her immune system. Hey, Doc, here’s a question for ya…

She got the tired part of the equation though. Two out of four. McCready told her to take the next day off. She must really look like crap, Hayley thought as she curled up on bed with some crackers and ginger ale.

Hayley woke up in the dark. Her first conscious thought was _oh, hello. There you are._ Her hand was on her belly and she felt a funny throb beneath her fingers. A pulse…a beat that she wasn’t entirely sure was real.

But then she heard it. A soft thump, thump, thump that beat beneath her skin and seemed to spread outward into the entire room. She flipped on the lamp and struggled to fight back the haze of sleep because surely she had to still be dreaming. She looked at the ginger ale and even sniffed it to assure herself that it was indeed ginger ale.

“What the hell…” She placed a hand on her belly. No. It wasn’t possible. Well, according to her memory with Rebek- “Shut up!” Hayley shouted.

There was an energy in the room now, a pulsing that reminded her of when she and Klaus… She got out of bed and stormed to the bathroom to splash ice cold water on her face. It was quiet now but the she could still _feel_ the throb beneath her skin.

No. Please God. No.

“Whoa. You look like crap,” Cami said when Hayley stormed into her apartment.

“Is Marcel here?” Hayley asked looking around, holding the plastic bag close to her chest.

“No, why?”

“Good. Now you can explain to me how to use this thing.”

“What’s going on, Hayl-” The color drained from her friend’s already fair skin so quickly when she pulled out the rectangular box it would almost be funny. “This is a pregnancy test. What are you doing with this?”

  “Well, I’m assuming at some point tonight I’m going to have to pee on the sucker.”

Cami shook her head. “You’ve totally lost me. Vampires can’t procreate.”

Hayley would have laughed at her friend’s confusion if it wasn’t her own life they were talking about. “Come and listen to a story about a girl named Andrea…” she began.

Cami’s eyes were red and her cheeks were damp with tears when Hayley had finished her story. “So you believe him? Everything Elijah has told you?”

“It’s kind of hard not to considering, I’m sitting here on your couch a knocked up vampire…er…werewolf…hybrid. Right. That’s the word, isn’t it? I’m a God damned hybrid.” She dropped her head on her knees. “Even if he hadn’t put the pieces together. All these flashes of stuff I’d been getting…it had to mean something.”

“And it only intensified after you and Klaus slept together. That’s kind of romantic.”

Hayley pointed at her. “Don’t you dare. This is not romantic. My life is a nightmare thanks to that family.”

“Well, we won’t know for sure if you’re a knocked up hybrid until you take the test. So…” she lifted the box.

Hayley wanted to take the box and throw it out the window and then cover her ears and scream…but that wouldn’t solve her problem, if it turned out there was one to be solved.

Cami went over the instructions with her again and stood outside the bathroom door as Hayley worked up the nerve to do what needed to be done.

She hadn’t told her about the other baby, if that had indeed been what Hayley had experienced. When Cami had wondered how Hayley’s memory had gotten wiped, she lied and said she didn’t know. She felt guilty about it but she wasn’t ready for anyone to know about that loss yet, not even her best friend. It was still too fresh and Hayley needed to live with it by herself for a little while longer.

She stared at back of the stick, lacking the courage to turn it over. She never thought of herself as a cowardly person but…Hayley opened the door and handed it to Cami. “You do it.”

“Do what?” Her friend asked with a grimace, holding it by the tips of her fingers away from her body.

Hayley supposed she was testing the boundaries of friendship having her friend hold a stick she’d just peed on, but hell, Cami was always such a helpful soul.

“I can’t look. You do it.”

Cami bit her lip and looked at Hayley, then down at the test.

Her friend, the shrink hadn’t yet mastered the whole ‘professional distance’/boredom look so she choked on a gasp and coughed, her eyes widening when they looked back up at Hayley for just a second before Cami tried to calm her own reaction though it was too late.

Hayley’s knees buckled. The couch was too far away. The floor would have to do. “Oh God. Oh God. Oh God…” Stark terror washed over her in a paralyzing rush all the way to the tips of her toes.

“Hey, it’s okay. It’s gonna be okay. Just breathe. Slow…Easy…There we go,” Cami sat on the floor next to her and rubbed Hayley’s back until the blurriness that threatened to turn into a dead faint began to clear.

“I don’t know what to do. What do I do, Cami? I don’t know how to deal with this…” Her face crumpled as the enormity of her situation swamped Hayley and she covered her face and began to cry.

“Come here,” Cami gathered her close. “You don’t have to deal with anything for now. We’ll just sit here for as long as you need to.”

Her friend was being so wonderful which only made Hayley cry harder because she herself was such a god awful bitch. She didn’t want this baby. She did not. She would make a shit mother and Klaus would put a teeny bullseye on its back just by virtue of who he was, to say nothing of him probably not even giving a shit about it. This baby would have the worst parents ever.  How could they have been so stupid? Surely Klaus knew the possibility was there considering he was a wolf and he hadn’t said a fucking word! Rage filled her and Hayley was sure she could have killed him if he’d been standing in front of her.

_No you wouldn’t. You love him._

_No I DON’T. Stupid little Andrea did. I won’t ever make that same mistake._

She was a mess for the next few days. It was as if the knowledge she was pregnant had stopped her in her tracks and now she was physically incapable of moving in any direction. She would swing from utter despair, rage to the ridiculous idea that maybe she could have it and no one would ever have to know if she left New Orleans. But even if she did take this baby away from the violence and danger of the city, she would still be its mother and she would still fuck it up. No doubt.

So that left two options. Giving it away or…Hayley shuddered and lowered her head to the bar’s counter. Even over the jazz, she could heard and feel the strong pulse of the baby’s heartbeat moving through her body, obviously in protest of _that_ option.

She knew what it was like though, as herself and as Andrea Labonair to be raised by parents who didn’t want her. If she gave it away, would her baby live with this same feeling of never being good enough? Of being abandoned. Tears sprung to her eyes. It was worse than death, in Hayley’s opinion to live with that feeling. Wouldn’t it be kinder just to rid of it all together and that way it would never know the awful feeling Hayley lived with all her life.

_No one wants you. Even that sexy vampire you finally let fuck you tossed you aside once he was done._

“Bad day?” A female voice asked.

Hayley blinked back her tears of self pity and looked up. It was the restaurant owner. Jane…Deveraux, Hayley remembered. Jane-Anne. “You could say that.”

She handed her a scotch which Hayley shook her head at, recognizing the ridiculousness of her refusal considering what she had just been contemplating. “I was wondering if you could help me out. I’m looking for this family the Labonair’s. Have you ever heard of them?” The question was out before Hayley even realized she was asking it.

Another woman stepped up beside Jane-Anne, her eyes moving over Hayley. “I think I’ve heard a few stories about them from some of the wolves in the bayou,” the woman, Sophie replied. “I can take you out there if you want?”

The way the girl was looking at her, as if trying to read her mind freaked Hayley out so she gave a weak smile and shook her head. “Just directions would be okay if you don’t mind?”

They were witches. And witches freaked her out even more than the vampires did for some reason. Well, she supposed it made sense now. She was half each of the other two.

What the hell was she doing? Hayley asked herself as she drove through the darkness into the swamp and marsh that was the wolves home. She knew all she wanted to know about the fucking Labonair’s. What possible answers could they give her about anything? A wolf howl sent a shiver down her spine but she found the sound didn’t frighten her. It intrigued her and Hayley found herself following it. For about five minutes she moved in the direction of the sound until her car began to inexplicably slow. She looked down at the pedals in confusion, pumping the accelerator and then checking the gas gage. It was full.

“What the hell? Oh come on.” She pumped furiously.

The car stalled. “Son of a bitch.” A shiver of unease went down her spine as she looked around in the pitch darkness. _Going or staying?_ Klaus’s voice echoed through her mind. “Oh you shut up,” she snapped out loud. But ‘Mind-Klaus’ did have a point. She couldn’t very well stay in her car. Yeah, that didn’t work out well for that mom and kid in that horror movie Marcel had made her and Cami watch about the psycho dog.

She fished her phone out of her purse and groaned. “Of course.” No signal. She gathered both close to her switching her phone out in favor of holding her gun instead. Her skin practically tingled with awareness as she walked through the darkness, watching her step as much as she could. Every sound was amplified, the warm night air did nothing to stop her trembling. Finally, she spotted a sliver of light through the trees and nearly wept with relief when she spotted the outline of a cabin.

“Hayley,” a female voice said behind her.

She turned and was surprised and annoyed to see that Sophie Deveraux had followed her. “What the hell are you doing out here? I told you I didn’t need a guide.” The last thing she wanted was more people knowing her business.

“What must be done,” Sophie said.

In the next second, Hayley crumpled to the ground and remembered no more.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Chapter Eighteen**

**We Both Lacked The Same Things In Our Childhoods, The Love Of A Father.**

God damn witches! Hayley kept her eyes closed and listened to the activity going on around her. How long had she been unconscious? She took a mental inventory for any broken bones or scratches. Nope. Nothing hurt. She’d come to only about a minute ago, now inside the cabin she had seen in the distance. They’d taken her gun. Not unexpected, but shit! She fiddled with the rope tight around her wrists ever so gently so the two women, wouldn’t notice.

“We can use the child as a bargaining chip. With Klaus Mikaelson on our side we can fight Marcel and regain New Orleans for the witches, regain our power.”

Whoa! What. The. Actual. Fuck????? Her child? The baby she was carrying? Nobody knew about that except Cami and Hayley would bet her life that her best friend hadn’t uttered a god damn…Oh. Witches. Right. They probably had some voodoo-ish extra sense about that. Was that how they knew Klaus was the father? Jesus Christ! And the humans were worried about ‘Big Brother’ spying on them. The government had nothing on witches.

“She’s awake. All right, you. Sit up,” Sophie said grabbing her upper arm and pulling her up off the mattress.

“This was really stupid,” Hayley warned as her eyes adjusted to the bright light. “Marcel is a friend of mine so if anything, grabbing me, you just pissed him off and his entire damn vampire army, not to mention you’ll bring this city’s police department on your head for grabbing one of their own.”

“Marcell killed my sister! He has to suffer for that!” Sophie snapped, but then smiled at her. “That’s where Klaus comes in. With him on our side, the witches will be indestructible.”

Hayley swallowed, her mouth dry. Jane-Anne was dead? If she tried to deny Klaus as the father would the witches just kill her and leave her body out in the swamp? It was that fear that held her tongue from spewing the lie. He might be the only card _she_ had to play at the moment.

 “Let’s go,” Sophie said, nodding at the other woman in the room with her and pulling Hayley to her feet. Hayley didn’t recognize the other woman but decided she was probably another witch.

“Where are we going?” Hayley asked, looking around the room quickly to see if she could spot her gun but she couldn’t see it before Sophie and the other woman dragged her out the door.

They took her to the cemetery and made her wait outside one of the mausoleums with the other witch while Sophie went inside. She was soon joined by someone Hayley didn’t see but she recognized that voice. Elijah? He sounded pretty pissed.

Suddenly he came out, shock and relief on his face. He cupped her face. “Are you all right? Everyone’s been in a panic. Cami hasn’t stopped calling to know if I’d found you. Marcel had his vampires-”

“Wait, how long have I been gone?” Hayley asked.

Elijah blinked. “It’s been at least three days.”

Hayley turned and glared at both witches now behind him. “Three days!” She rushed at them but Elijah held her back.

What had being knocked out for three days done to her baby? A murderous rage filled her until…blessedly she could feel the quick beat of the baby’s heart beat beneath her skin and it was like a bouncing sort of throb in her ears. She was grateful for the sound now. Relief drowned out her anger, though not completely, but it was enough to pull her focus away from what Sophia and the other witch were talking about until Elijah stared at her again with fresh shock and stared down at her belly. _Oh._

“Yeah,” she said simply.

It was dark in their surroundings but she couldn’t miss the flicker of hurt on his face before he quickly covered it. She felt a little sympathy for him. He was in love with the person she had supposedly been. Andrea. Not who she was now, Hayley told herself.

He turned to Sophie. “I will bring Klaus back with me.”

“Good, we’ll keep Hayley here in the meantime. Don’t dawdle,” Sophie snapped.

Elijah glared at her and Hayley wondered if he would have killed her if she wasn’t holding on to Hayley. He gave Hayley a small smile. “I’ll be back soon. We’ll get you out of here as soon as I return.”

She felt him before she heard or saw him. It was like the air actually changed when he was around. Damn him. Her body automatically responded with the urge to go to him and was it her imagination or did the throbbing beat of her baby’s heart sound stronger in her ears? Damn him again

Sophie went into her spiel about stopping Marcel and how she demanded that Klaus help her.

Hayley heard the derision in Klaus’s voice. What the hell did he care what happened to the witches? He had no reason to help them and nor did he want to.

The other witch gripped Hayley’s arm then and shoved her into the room with the rest of them.

Christ, he was still so… _everything._ She wanted to hate him. _Needed_ to hate him but her voice broke around his name despite her needs. “Klaus, you need to listen to them.”

His eyes widened when he saw her and the romantic, stupid side of her thought she saw that same flicker of relief that Elijah had shown when he saw her. Had he known she was missing too? Had he cared? Of course not. He disappeared for over a month without giving a damn about her.

She watched him stiffen. “What is this?” He demanded, his gaze shifting to the woman behind her and then Sophie and Elijah. He laughed then. A mocking laugh. “You’re all out of your minds if you think a one night stand-no offense sweetheart-” he added quickly for Hayley’s benefit, making her teeth clench. “ means a thing to me.”

She told herself it shouldn’t hurt. He was just telling the truth. It _was_ a one night stand. They’d made no promises to each other. She needed to pull on her fucking big girl panties about this already. Though that didn’t help her not feel the urge to haul back and punch him, so she lowered her head and tightened her fists at her sides.

“Oh I think you’ll change your mind. See, I have a special gift of sensing when a girl is pregnant,” Sophie pointed out.

Hayley lifted her head. Damn. A part of her wondered if it wouldn’t have been kinder to maybe take Klaus somewhere and tell him in private. Not like this. Not to mention if he told her he didn’t give a shit, there wouldn’t be an audience. Too late now. Shit.

He wasn’t facing her. She wished she could see his face. But she watched his body go very very still. A very soft “What?”

Hayley shivered. “I know it’s impossible but…”

He turned to face her, dumbstruck. “What are you saying?”

“Niklaus,” Elijah spoke. “The girl is carrying your child.”

Hayley could see Klaus growing paler by the second. _Yeah, a few more days of that and you’ll be right about where I am now, buddy._ Hayley thought.

She saw a shiver go through him, and he gasped. She saw it all on his face, fear, panic, disbelief and something else a flicker of that thing Hayley refused to acknowledge in herself until she saw it echoed on his. _Want._ Then just as quickly it was gone and the cold mask was there on his face though she didn’t miss the glisten in his eyes.

He shook his head. “No. It’s impossible. Vampires cannot procreate!” He said to Sophie.

“But wolves can. Magic made you a vampire, but you were born a werewolf.”

“She is a vampire!” Klaus shouted, pointing at Hayley.

“Yeah, about that…” Hayley grimaced.

“She’s a hybrid as well, Niklaus. She was also born a wolf,” Elijah explained.

“What? What the hell are you all trying to pull?” he shouted. “You’ve been with someone else! Admit it!”

Hayley’s face went red hot. He didn’t need to know that there hadn’t been anyone a long time before him but to suggest she was some kind of slut? She went back to wanting to punch him. Hard. Maybe kick him in the balls for good measure.

“I just spent the last three days held hostage in the damn bayou by these crazy bitches who think I’m carrying some miracle baby. Don’t you think I would have fessed up if it wasn’t yours?” Hayley shot back.

 “If you don’t help us take down Marcel, I swear to you, Hayley won’t live to see her first maternity dress,” Sophie vowed.

“Wait, what?” Hayley asked, taking a step back, coming up against the other woman.

“Oh for goodness sake, if you want Marcel dead I’ll do it myself,” Elijah insisted.

“No,” Sophie insisted. “We have a very clear plan and there are rules that need to be followed.”

Niklaus towered over her. “How dare you threaten me with what you wrongfully perceive to be my weaknesses? I won’t hear anymore lies!” He turned to storm away past them all but Elijah stopped him.

“Niklaus. Listen,” Elijah urged him.

At first Hayley wasn’t sure what he meant until it occurred to her that he could hear the baby’s heartbeat. She scowled. She wanted this to be something that was hers alone, that only she would be the one to have this special connection that she could hear her baby inside of her.

But apparently Elijah could hear it. Score one for special vampire hearing. And gradually, she watched the sound reach Klaus. The shock on his face, the quiet uncertainty, the fear. He looked about ready to pass out, yet he stood dumb founded, drawn in by the sound, unable to turn away. His gaze travelled back up to her face and she saw it in his eyes. _How?_ His eyes were damp when they met hers and for a second she saw it all there. _I can’t do this. I can’t bear it. This tiny innocent life. Nononono! Don’t let me near it. It’s too much._

His thoughts echoed her own so perfectly, not that she could read his mind, thankfully not. But she saw it, recognizing every thought in the way his breath caught, the way his mouth worked to speak but couldn’t.

And then nothing. The cold mask slipped back over his face with the force of the blade of a guillotine slicing through the air. He turned away from her, back to his brother. And then he spoke. “Kill her and the baby. What do I care?”

And then he was gone. Hayley went a little lightheaded as the world around her grew blurry. Pain, hot and agonizing moved through her chest, like a living thing. Not physically. Oh no. That she could have endured. But this? The agony of his words cut through her like an actual knife and it was only supreme effort that kept Hayley standing. Funny how you could actually hear your heart break when it happened. Clean and sharp. Snap. She took a deep breath as if trying to gather and hold all the shattered pieces in so her guts wouldn’t spill out onto the floor. She’d lived her entire life abandoned. Rejected. She thought she’d grown used to the feeling.

This though, this felt as if it would cripple her. Her vision blurred with tears she would dare not shed in front of these people. She despised Klaus Mikaelson in that second more than she ever thought it possible to hate anyone.

Even Mikael who, if her memories were to be believed, had made her what she was.

“Screw this,” Hayley hissed, shaking so hard she had to dig her nails into her palms to try and stop. “I’m out of here.”

“Wait,” Elijah urged. “I’ll talk to him.”

“No!” Hayley shouted. “You and your brother can both go to hell. And you!” She turned to Sophie. “Try and stop me from leaving now and I swear you will regret it. Take me home. Now.” This she directed to Elijah.

“I will speak to my brother and he’ll see that-”

“Elijah, I will fucking walk if I have to,” Hayley vowed.

His shoulders slumped but he turned to Sophie. “If you want a hope in hell of my brother helping your cause, you will see her home without incident. Hurt her and I will make you suffer as only I can, is that understood?”

Sophie crossed her arms and nodded. “And just so we’re clear,” she countered. “I’ve created a spell that links me to Hayley, so anything happens to me, you can kiss your precious Hayley goodbye. Got it?”

“What kind of a spell?” Hayley asked horrified.

“Just a little insurance. As long as Klaus agrees to help us, you have nothing to worry about.”

“Peachy,” Hayley sneered and as she stormed out into the night, Sophie close behind her. Hayley used her anger to give her strength and keep her grief at bay, until she was finally back in her own apartment, alone. Only then, did she crumple to the floor and quietly start to cry.

She threw herself into her work the next day. She knew she was being watched. By the witches? By Elijah? She didn’t care. McCready asked if she was feeling better because she still looked really pale. Her cold must have hit her hard. Cold. Right. She didn’t know who gave them that story, but she didn’t deny it. She assured him she was fine. She needed to work. She needed to throw herself into the rush of facing violence and danger. McCready warily suggested she go with a fellow officer, Hoffman, to investigate a drive by in one of the less savoury neighborhoods. Perfect.

A new gang had sprung up, trying to muscle in on Bobby’s, who’s nephew Hayley had danced with at Cami’s bar on the night she’d met Elijah, territory with harder drugs. Bobby Houston didn’t deal in heroin or meth because according to his own skewed moral code, they were a ruiner of lives while cocaine, if his clientele was smart about it could make their lives better, more productive. “Plus it’ll make you fuck like Superman,” Bobby had told her once with a bright grin of invitation when she had questioned him.

She questioned a few witnesses, one of them a woman with a small toddler in her arms who kept smiling at Hayley. A little girl with golden hair and the bluest eyes Hayley had ever seen.

 _Will her and Klaus’s child look like this?_ She shook that thought away.

The girl’s mother wasn’t smiling though. She didn’t want to talk to the cops. Half of their interviews went that same way. Nobody wanted to be pointed out as a snitch and risk being a gang banger’s next victim.

If it wasn’t vampires and witches it was rival gang members. Christ! How stupid would she be to even consider bringing a child into this insane world? Not that she would be. The smart thing would be to get rid of it. That was the only possible logical course of action.

She was driving with her fellow cop when she saw someone up against the side of a house. They’d interview the guy already and he was being shoved against the red stone wall by another guy with the gang colours Hayley recognized. He had a gun pressed into the guy’s face and was yelling at, undoubtedly for talking to the cops. She and Lachlan sprang into action. She got out of the car and he cut off the guy’s escape route.

The gang member, a gangly red haired kid with a buzz cut who didn’t look more than sixteen grabbed the other guy as a shield as Hayley ordered him to put his gun down. He pushed the guy he was holding in front of her, knocking them both to the ground and dashing over her and the blocking car. Hayley heard the squeal of tires as Lachlan gave chase. At least the kid had been smart enough not to fire at a cop.

When she assured herself the victim was okay she took off after Lachlan and ran smack into Klaus who had the kid’s head pinned beneath his boot. “Lost someone, did you, love?”

An infuriating stab of desire shot through Hayley just a second before rage followed. “What the hell are you doing?”

“You’re welcome,” he smiled mockingly.

The kid beneath him squirmed and shouted obscenities.

Klaus dug the toe of his boot into the guy’s temple. “Do be a good lad and shut up, won’t you?” He looked back at her. “Whenever you’re ready to cuff him, darling?”

Hayley looked past him to Lachlan who was sitting in the driver’s seat of the car, not moving. “What did you do to him?”

“Police work is such an exhausting business as I’m sure you well know. Poor man needed a nap. He’ll wake up and remember how he saved the day.” He lifted his fist in the air in victory.

Hayley resisted the urge to punch him and leaned down cuffed the guy on the ground, pulling back as Klaus lifted him to his feet.

“Now, you little wanker. This beautiful lady’s partner is going to take you down to the station where you are going to tell him everything he needs to know.” Klaus dragged him towards the police car.

Her cheeks grew hot at his calling her beautiful. Oh Jesus Christ what was fucking wrong with her? She hated him! Hated him. Despised him.

“And another piece of advice. Pull up your trousers!” Klaus snapped and shoved him in the car and told Lachlan to drive away.

“Wait a minute. What the hell?”

He gripped her arm and pulled her back onto the sidewalk. “If it’s all the same to you I’d rather not give the witches another chance to grab you and try and use you against me so you’re coming with me.”

“The fuck I am!” Hayley jerked at his grip.

“Must you always be such a difficult foul mouthed creature? You test my patience.”

“I do? I? Get your hands off me, God damn it!”

He jerked her towards him. “Hayley, you know full well I can just toss you over my shoulder and get us both out of here but I’m offering you the dignity of walking. I suggest you appreciate my magnanimity before I change my mind.”

She pulled out her gun which thankfully she had on her and pointed it in his stomach.

He sighed in irritation. “You know full well that will not harm me.”

“No, but it will hurt and that will make me feel a whole lot better. I’m not going anywhere with you. I wouldn’t go anywhere with you, if you knew where the river was and I was dying of thirst. You don’t care about me or the baby. You’re perfectly fine with the witches killing me, remember so if you think I’m going to believe you’ve suddenly decided to play daddy and we’ve got some bond because of this kid, you’ve got another thing coming. Now let go.”

He narrowed his eyes at her but stepped back. His gaze suddenly shifted away from her as if something suddenly occurred to him. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open as he stared at her.

“What?” she asked, unable to keep the concern out of her voice as he seemed about to pass out.

“No…” Klaus whispered, staring at her. “It’s not possible.”


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Chapter Nineteen**

**I Will Grieve. I Will Be Whole Again But I Will Never Be The Same**

 

 

In the end, he didn’t give a crap about her dignity. After she touched his arm and asked him if he was okay, Klaus had grabbed her and the world blurred past them in a rush and in the next second they were back in his house and he was shouting for Elijah.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Hayley asked.

“Wait here. ELIJAH!” Klaus barked.

His brother showed up at the balcony on the second floor. “What are you shouting-Hayley, what happened?”

Hayley lifted her hands. “You got me.”

Klaus turned and pointed at her. “You stay here. Elijah, in the den. Now.”

“Are you confusing me with someone else? I don’t have to do what you tell me, Dimples,” Hayley snapped.

“Stay. Here,” he demanded, then rushed up to his brother.

She could have left. Should have left, but honestly, she was too damn curious about what had happened. The way he looked at her it was if he’d…remembered something. Oh God. Was that it? Had he remembered something about their shared past? Hayley rushed up the stairs, hoping to eavesdrop.

They were arguing and she could make out the odd word but the wood in the doors was of good enough quality that their voices were pretty muffled.

Then she heard Klaus say her name…No, not her name, Hayley corrected quickly _her_ name. Andrea Labonair.

“She’s…child…saw…”

“Niklaus-”

“ANSWER ME!”

“…pain…best…save you…”

“Wolves…attack…ritual…bonded.”

 _Bonded?_ What did that mean?

_“There, Little Wolf. Nothing can hurt you now because we’re bonded so I’ll always protect you.”_

She was in Klaus’s lap…but she looked different. Younger. Much younger.

Then a crash as Klaus and Elijah burst through the door. “TURN IT OFF!” Klaus cried shoving Elijah against the wall.

“That’s not the way it works and you know that,” Elijah insisted.

“Will someone tell me what the hell is going on here?” Hayley demanded, speaking not only of the battle between the two brothers, but the confusion going on in her own brain.

In a flash so quick she almost missed it, Klaus pulled out a dagger and jabbed Elijah in the chest.

Hayley jumped and let out a startled scream as Elijah let out a shocked cry and crumpled to the floor. He grabbed Klaus by the neck and pulled him close, meeting his eyes. “Now, you will remember, my brother. Remember her. Remember it all,” Elijah choked before losing consciousness.

Klaus let go of his brother and jerked back, dropping his head against the floor, letting out an anguished cry appearing to be in pain. Elijah lay on the floor, a dagger sticking from his chest, his skin now an ashy grey colour.

“Hey!” Hayley called out, lowering herself next Klaus. “Are you okay?” She touched his back, hating herself for caring about his pain.

He lifted his head and stared at her, his blue eyes damp with tears that streamed now down his cheeks. “It’s you…Andrea…Good God” He reached out and grabbed her, holding her close, his head buried in her stomach, shaking so hard he was making _her_ tremble.

She had a flash of holding him like this before. His head curled up on her lap, face buried in her stomach as he sobbed. Only again, she was much a younger. She could see her tiny hand stroking his back. She was a child then. Elijah said she…Andrea…knew him as a child. Klaus looked at her, not with lust, not with anger, or derision. _Kill her and the baby. What do I care?_ That cold man was nowhere to be found. He got up onto his knees and cradled her face. “You’re here. You’re alive and here. How is it possible?”

He didn’t give her a chance to answer. Klaus lowered his mouth to hers in a kiss that made her senses explode in a terrifying mix of lust and memory and…love…Oh God help her. She was so screwed. This monster. This evil bastard who had tossed her aside made her forget all his cruelty under the searing heat of his mouth. She gave herself a moment to fall, to kiss him back, to accept his tongue in her mouth and feel claimed again. It felt like home, more like acceptance and belonging than she had ever experienced…or remembering experiencing. She understood now even as it terrified her. She was bonded to him. Her feelings for him were uncontrollable. She had no choice in the matter. His fingers moved into her hair and pulled her closer to kiss her more deeply. Her breath was quick and ragged against his face and his was as well. The air around them grew thick as it always did when they touched each other and her baby’s heartbeat rang so loudly in her ears that she was sure he could hear it as well.

 It was the baby that made her pull away. He’d been ready to toss them both away, and now, because he suddenly remembered her as that sweet innocent puppy that followed him around and thought of him like a God, he’d changed his mind? When she was regular old Hayley Marshall, she’d been less than nothing to him and so had their baby.

“No,” she tore her mouth away even as he grabbed her neck to pull her back. “No, stop!” she pleaded, because kissing him would pull her back into the haze where nothing mattered but the feelings he stirred within her.

“Andrea-”

“Stop calling me that!” she snapped, still trembling from the effects of his kiss. She could still taste him on her lips. “I’m not her. I will never be her again.” She got to her feet and he looked up at her, still stunned. “I’m Hayley. Remember? Hayley who you were gonna let the witches kill? Hayley carrying the baby you don’t give a shit about. Remember that? Now, what? All of a sudden it was okay when I was a nobody but not now that you remember me as the precious idiot who loved you? Go to fucking hell, Klaus Mikaelson. Go to fucking hell.”

And there it was. The cold mask fell instantly over his face, but the difference was there in his eyes. Amid the cold, were flickers of something when he looked at her now, an awareness, an understanding. Love, lust, desire. Like a flame trying to burst through the cold wall even as she could see his struggle to hold it back. He got to his feet, towering over her yet again. “Stay here,” he ordered.

Hayley cocked an eyebrow. “Yeah, so I can end up like your poor shmuck of a brother there? No thanks.” Christ, all of this was going on with Elijah still on the floor with a dagger in his chest! Seriously! What the hell was wrong with her?

He grabbed her and in the next second she was in a room upstairs and he was slamming the door behind him where she then heard the unmistakable sound of a turning lock.

She stared in shock for a second that he had actually locked her in from the outside. “Oh you did not just…” Yep. He did. Hayley kicked the door. “Open this door, you cretin! Klaus!”

No answer. Her purse had fallen to the floor when Klaus had kissed her. Her purse that held her phone. “God damn it.” She looked around the room, an office for something to unlock the door. It had to be able to unlock from the inside somehow because the damn knob would not turn but there was a key hole in it. Her years on the street had honed her lock picking skills and she let out a triumphant squeal when she spotted the little wooden box of paper clips. She was pleased to see that she hadn’t lost the skill and it only took a few minutes before the lock gave way. “Gotta love old houses.”

“Klaus! Where are you, you narcissistic, backstabbing wanker?” Rebekah’s voice boomed through the house just as Hayley reached the balcony.

She looked up at Hayley in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“Where’s Elijah?” Hayley asked, looking down at the spot where Klaus had daggered his brother.

Rebekah cocked her head. “How long have you been up there?”

“I don’t know, half an hour maybe. Where the hell did Elijah go?” Hayley came rushing down the stairs.

“You saw him?” Rebekah asked urgently.

“He was lying right there after Klaus…uh…” Hayley hesitated when she reached the last step, then felt annoyed that she was trying to protect him. “He stuck a knife in him and left him right there on the floor while he locked me in that damned office.”

Rebekah’s eyes widened. “Bloody hell. He daggered him? Why? You know what? Never mind. Nik’s mind will conjure up any reason. Come with me.” Rebekah turned and stormed down the hall to a staircase that led to the basement. Hayley stopped halfway down when she spotted coffins.

“Uh, yeah, I think I’m okay up here, thanks.”

“Oh come now. I’m hardly going to stick the woman carrying my brother’s baby in a coffin with no good reason, now am I?” Rebekah motioned her towards her.

“Let me know what the good reason is for that so I don’t do it, ‘kay?” Hayley reluctantly made her way down the rest of the stairs. “Oh and I’m just thrilled that news is making the rounds by the way.”

“Damn he’s not here,” Rebekah said.

“This would be where you explain the coffins,” Hayley pointed out.

“Every few hundred years or so Niklaus imagines some grand betrayal from one of his siblings and keeps us in one of these for a century or two or four. This one’s mine.” She laid her hand one of them.

Hayley looked at her, incredulous. “He keeps your coffin on standby?”

“What hell has he done with our brother? His coffins missing.”

“Oh my God! Missing coffins. I can’t do this shit. I really can’t. I’m out!” Hayley insisted storming back towards the stairs.

“Yeah, good luck with that, love. Now that you’re carrying Nik’s child you’ll never be free of him.” Rebekah followed Hayley back to the main floor.

“Oh well, looks like you’ve missed that memo. Klaus is all too willing to let the witches kill me and this baby. He doesn’t give a crap about either of us.” 

“Yes, clearly why your lipstick is smudged all over your face,” Rebekah said dryly.

Blushing, Hayley wiped at her mouth and looked away.

“Why hello sister!” Klaus exclaimed with a smile, coming through the door.

“What have you done with Elijah?” Rebekah demanded.

“How did you get out?” Klaus demanded, his smile disappearing when he noticed Hayley wasn’t still locked upstairs. “Did you let her out?” He scowled at his sister.

“Oh leave her alone-” Hayley began but Rebekah quickly cut her off.

“Of course I did! You think I’m going to allow you to hold the poor girl hostage until you get your head out of your ass and realize what a blessing it is that she’s carrying your child?”

Hayley was a little confused by the lie but wasn’t going to contradict Rebekah in front of Klaus. Not about that that anyway. “A blessing? Not the word I’d use. Now if you’ll both excuse me.” She moved to walk past him but Klaus blocked her way.

“You’re not going anywhere. Sister, dear, perhaps you would like to explain to me your part in this massive deception Elijah perpetrated all these centuries. Unless you plead ignorance in which case depending on how convincing you are, you may not share our brother’s fate,” Klaus warned.

“Which is what? What have you done to Elijah, damn you!” Rebekah demanded.

“Did you know that Hayley was Andrea Labonair?” Klaus countered.

Rebekah crossed her arms over her chest. “Where is Elijah, Nik?”

Klaus stiffened and Hayley couldn’t miss the guilty flush the rose in his face.

“Right,” Rebekah said. She turned to leave.

“Don’t worry about Elijah. He’s perfectly fine. I just…let Marcel borrow him for a while.”

“Borrow?” Both Hayley and Rebekah asked at the same time.

“It’s all part of my plan to get Marcel to trust me. Elijah is not in any danger so you needn’t worry.”

Rebekah looked at Hayley. “You felt that pat on the head too just now, yeah?”

Klaus lifted his eyes to the ceiling. “I know what I’m doing. Once I defeat Marcel and get the city back we’ll all be one big happy family again.”

“Hmm, I’m think less Ingalls…more Borgias?” Hayley asked.

Rebekah snorted.

“Well, you and your plans for world domination have nothing to do with me so, I’m gonna-” Hayley moved to pass him towards the door but Klaus gripped her arm.

“I can’t very well let you leave to toddle off to Marcel and tell him my plan now can I?” Klaus reminded her.

“You can’t keep me here.”

“Of course I can! Now if you’ll wait here I’ll take care of your absence and be right back as you and I have much to discuss. Rebekah, be a dear and keep our houseguest company until I return and should you get any ideas let me remind you that your coffin is downstairs.”

“Wait, what do you mean, take care of my absence? You mean compulsion? You leave Cami alone. Do you hear me?” Hayley shouted as he walked out the door. “Klaus!”

He slammed the door.

Hayley grabbed her purse and made to follow him but Rebekah stopped her.

“Are you serious?” Hayley snapped at her.

“Just, give it a minute. You hardly want him to see you leave the house.”

“Oh,” Hayley said, looking at her warily. “Thanks, and thanks for lying before I guess, though I’m not sure why you did that.”

Rebekah shrugged. “Klaus doesn’t need to know you can escape him if you ever need to. You should have that out.”

“Voice of experience?” Hayley asked with a small shudder.

Rebekah smiled sadly. “I love my brother. I also know my brother.” She pointed to the living room. Hayley hesitated. “He won’t hurt Cami. I do know that. That won’t fit in with his plan for Marcel.”

“Good to know,” Hayley said, rolling her eyes, but she followed her onto the couch.

“So…I’m not quite sure what the decorum is in situations like this but…Do you remember much about your past?” Rebekah asked her.

Hayley took a deep breath and sat down next to her. “Too much…and not enough. Were we…I mean, you and I, were we friends?”

Rebekah smiled and nodded. “You were a child when I first knew you so I always thought of you…as a little sister, I suppose.”

“Mikael turned me,” Hayley said and watched as Rebekah exhaled, but there was no surprise on her face. “I don’t…remember much about it, but I know I was going after Klaus after he took off. Then there’s nothing. Then there was Mikael, pinning me down and forcing me to drink his blood and…” She shuddered. She met Rebekah’s gaze then. “Was there a baby?”

Her heart stopped as she waited for the answer. Rebekah held her gaze and Hayley saw her eyes glisten.

“Yes.”

On some level, Hayley had known it was true, but to hear it spoken out loud still sent a shock of pain though her heart. She told herself it didn’t matter. It shouldn’t matter. She was not meant to be anyone’s mother.

“At first I thought it had been Nik that had turned you, but you said it was Mikael. I didn’t know what stopped him from outright killing you but then it occurred to me that he needed you alive.  He knew my brother loved you more than anything. If my brother killed our father, he would be killing you as well.”

Hayley leaned back. “But Elijah said Mikael told Klaus that he’d killed me. There was nothing to keep Klaus from killing him then.”

Rebekah shook her head and gave a smile with no humour in it at all. “I suppose it suited Mikael’s purpose then. Sometimes, my father’s blood lust to destroy Nik overrules everything. It gave him more pleasure then to lie and tell Nik that you were dead. Then if he did ever manage to best our father, Mikael would have the final laugh when you died as well.”

“But how would Klaus know? He’d already believed I was dead.”

“Our father knew I knew you were alive, that I had found you. I was his unwilling ally. I would never let Nik kill him for your sake. I have done things over the centuries that Niklaus has seen as a betrayal and please don’t get me wrong, I would do them again, in order to ensure your safety.”

“Including wiping out my memory and abandoning me? I mean, what, in any of my life has been real?” Hayley couldn’t help the bitterness in her tone

  Rebekah nodded slowly. “Including that yes. The grief of losing your baby coupled with the violence of your transition.” She cleared her throat. “You didn’t handle it well. You broke. Mentally. You went into a rage, killing the healer and the midwife who was helping her.”

Hayley jerked back and covered her mouth, horror filling her. “What?”

Rebekah took her hand. “You were in pain. Physically and mentally.”

“I killed them?” She had always felt like a monster for what she was, but to know that she truly was?

“Hayley, listen to me. After what had happened to you, anyone would have snapped, darling. You were so young, too young to deal with such tragedy and-”

Hayley shook her head as the tears slipped between her fingers. Scrambling to her feet she fled the living room.

“Hayley!” Rebekah called after her but Hayley kept running. She ran out the door, into the night, with Rebekah’s words still ringing in her ears mingled with those of those she had known as her parents.

_You killed them._

_You’re a monster. A freak. We should have never kept you._

She couldn’t escape the words. The truth. The horrible abomination that she was.

And now she was bringing another one into the world. A new monster? Or a new victim for her, monster that she was, to harm? No. She would not bring a child into this world that could ever be harmed by the monster that Hayley was.

Hayley found herself in front of the shop that she knew was run by a woman who sold herbs, herbs that could help her. When she was sure no one was watching her, Hayley pulled open the door and went inside.   


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Chapter Twenty**

**A Mother’s Love Is Fierce, Forever And Will Let Nothing Stand In Its Path**

Hayley sat on the bench with the cup, looking down into the contents, willing herself to drink it. The woman in the shop had assured her the herbs would be effective in getting rid of the baby she carried. “Come on, Hayley. Andrea. Whatever the hell your name is. One bad stomach ache and all this stupid drama will be over.” No more dealing with Klaus who would probably thank her for taking the ‘problem’ off his hands. No more dealing with crazy witches who wanted to use her for some evil plot against the Mikaelsons. She could just go back to be boring old Hayley Marshall…vampire…er…vampire-wolf hybrid.

She brought the cup to her lips and tried to quiet the noise of the baby’s heartbeat that filled her head, like a plea.

A tiny little life having no other way to let its wishes be known. Trapped inside of her with no one to fight for it.

Unwanted. 

Wanting only for its mother to care for it. Love it.

The tears rolled down Hayley’s face and all logical argument fled with the simple certainty that she didn’t not want to kill her baby. This baby was inside of her, the only thing that truly belonged to her, that she could love or maybe could show her how to love. Babies were innocent. They did not know how to hate or be cruel. Grown ups taught them that. Maybe this baby could be the one thing in the world that loved her and maybe that would make Hayley better. The Hayley that she was could fall away. The Andrea who had become a monster because she had lost her baby…Maybe this baby was her second chance to be good. To be better.

“Well, what do we have here? I know a bunch of people who would be very interested in seeing you,” a male voice startled her from her thoughts.

Hayley stood, panic mingling with a different feeling. A new one. Protectiveness. She glared at the man, bracing herself to run or attack depending on his next move.

“You’re coming with me,” he said smugly reaching for her.

“I’m getting really sick of vampires telling me what to do,” she snapped, throwing the contents in his face, noting with a grimace how it burned his face.

Upset stomach indeed. Whirling around, she came face to face with two more vampires. Outnumbered, Hayley reached inside her purse for her gun, but before she could even reach inside, something grabbed one of the men and instantly snapped first his neck, then ripped the heart out of the other one.

“That’s no way to treat a pregnant lady,” Rebekah said, scolding the heart she held in her hand. She threw it on the ground. “I do hate bad manners.”

She glared at Hayley like a frustrated parent. “You know, you were a lot more docile when you were Andrea.”

Hayley feigned a smile. “Yeah? Consider me the remix.” She stormed past her knowing they’d have to go back to that god forsaken plantation house that served as the Mikaelson’s temporary home.

Klaus was waiting for them when they arrived and Hayley was chilled by the stormy look on his face.

“Nik-” Rebekah began but Klaus’s glare cut her off.

“I do believe my orders were quite clear, were they not, sister? You were to keep Hayley here in this house-”

“Oh don’t yell at her, okay? I was the one who took off,” Hayley insisted.

“Ah, and what were you doing in the bloody French Quarter, Hayley?”

Hayley swallowed, shame filling her at what she had almost done.

“ANSWER ME!” He shouted.

She lifted her chin and glared at him. “Fine.” She stepped away from the door and closer to him. “You wanna know what I was doing? I was buying poison so that I could put your little baby out of its misery.”

Pain filled his eyes and Hayley’s heart broke and she wanted to tell him that she was sorry and assure him that she hadn’t gone through with it but in the next second pain was replaced with rage and he grabbed her by the neck and pushed her against the door, squeezing her throat.

“Nik! Let her go! She is pregnant for God’s sake!” Rebekah cried, pulling at him.

She managed to jerk his arm away and Hayley collapsed against the door, struggling to get air into her lungs.

“All this bluster about not wanting the child and the second she tells you she’s ready to get rid of it…”

Hayley watched him, his face flushed now with shame rather than anger when he looked at her and he moved away from them both and fell onto the foot of the stairs, sitting down. It was the way he looked so small and vulnerable in that moment that kept her from lashing out at him for attacking her. She wanted to tell him to go to hell. That she had obviously made a mistake not going through with killing the baby because it had such a psycho for a father. Hayley said none of those things.

“It’s okay to want something,” Rebekah urged her brother. “It’s okay to care.” She looked over at Hayley, silently willing her to believe it too. “The two of you are in the same room again. After almost a thousand years and you’re going to have a baby. Do you have any idea what a miracle that is? And instead of working together to protect it from those that would do it harm, all you do is snipe at each other. Why are you spitting in the face of this second chance?”

Klaus snorted, staring down at his shoes. “My sister the hopeless romantic.”

“I’m not that girl anymore. Andrea Labonair. I don’t know if I ever can be or if I even want to be her,” Hayley admitted.

Klaus lifted his head and looked at her and her insides quivered with that low and hot pulse between them. “I need you to trust me. Both of you,” he added reluctantly turning to Rebekah. “I’ll get Elijah back but you have to let me do it my way. I need you to stay here, Hayley, because I can’t focus on my plan against Marcel and worry about the witches getting their hands on…the baby.”

She stiffened. So she was nothing that an incubator to him then? “Great. Fine. But I want something in return. You let me see Cami.”

“No. Absolutely not. I can’t risk you telling her anything that would get back to Marcel. Cami is perfectly fine. A lovely girl if a bit too eager to probe the depths of my tortured psyche. I think she likes me,” he teased with a dimpled grin.

Hayley felt an irrational flare of jealousy and turned to open the door. “You all have a good night.”

“Wait, Hayley!” Rebekah urged. “Klaus!” his sister chastised.

“Fine. You can call her,” Klaus suggested.

“No!” Hayley insisted. “I want her to come visit. I need to be surrounded by more than you and your insane family. No offense,” she added quickly for Rebekah’s benefit.

“None taken, love,” Rebekah assured her.

Klaus clenched his jaw. “Fine, you can have her over for tea in the morning.”

Hayley grinned at him and nodded satisfied, resisting the urge to rush over and kiss him for giving her her way. Was that something Andrea would have done? She felt like she would have and Klaus looked at her, his eyes softening as if that’s what he expected, but saddened knowing he wouldn’t get it.

“Great. Now I’m wiped so if one of you wants to show me where I’m sleeping?”

“I’ll be up in a sec to get you something to sleep in. First door on the left,” Rebekah said.

“Night night,” she said, climbing the stairs. When she got to the top she heard Rebekah whispering to him.

“It’s nice to know she can still wrap you around her finger the way she used to.”

“Nobody manipulates me, Rebekah. Never forget that.”

“I’m not talking about manipulation, you tosser. I’m talking about love. Goodnight, brother. Sweet dreams.”

Hayley woke up to whispering and a hand on her cheek.

“You never wanted this. If I didn’t despise my father before, I could kill him for doing this to you alone. Yet…you’re here and I am selfish enough to be glad. That makes me the monster they say I am. To feel something again after so long of…” Hayley felt him shudder.

Then his hand was gone and she felt the rise of the bed that signalled he’d gotten off the bed.

“I didn’t take it,” Hayley assured him, watching Klaus at the window. He held the vial of poison.

“Why not? You could have been free of all this. Of me.”

“I don’t know. I just couldn’t. I know it’s too early to feel anything yet but…I can hear it sometimes, like back in the cemetery when you heard it too?”

His eyes clouded with shame as he remembered his words to her and he looked away.

 _Yeah. That still hurt._ “I never had anyone to fight for me.”

His eyes met hers then, full of something, protectiveness, fierceness. Maybe he had fought for her. _Then._

“Not that I remember anyway,” she said with an apologetic shrug.

“Do you truly remember nothing from that time?” He asked. He tried for coolness, distance but it was as if she knew him in a way that she knew no other in the entire world. She knew the urgency in the words he tried to express casually.

“I get flashes of things that don’t make much sense. Maybe later you can help out with that if you want,” she asked, trying not to let her own urgency to remain near him show.

He nodded.

“Anyway, when those vampires showed up, I realized I wasn’t just protecting myself. I was protecting it too. That I always would. That I wanted it and would never let anyone hurt it.” She added that last bit with a determined lift of her chin. A warning to him as well as anyone else.

The corner of his mouth quirked. “Seems we’re quite alike, you and I.  We’ve both learned to fight when backed into a corner. It’s time to fight, Little Wolf.”

“What did you just call me?”

He gave a little start of surprise as if he hadn’t meant to call her that. The nickname brought tears to her eyes and a sob broke from her before she could stop it. Horrified, Hayley scrambled from the bed and ran out of the room, bumping into Rebekah in the hall and rushing past her, her vision blurring.

“What did you do to her?” Rebekah scolded just before Hayley slammed the door shut and let the tears fall.

The emotion had swamped her without warning at hearing the endearment and she knew he had used it when he’d loved her. She knew he didn’t love her now; that the words had spilled out automatically, out of habit now that he knew who she was, but something happened to her, hearing them after…dear God, almost a thousand years.

“Hayley, love, are you all right?” Rebekah asked through the door.

She quickly wiped her cheeks and tried to control the waves of emotion, sadness, joy, regret moving through her. She pulled open the door angrily. “Fucking pregnancy hormones,” Hayley hissed, moving past her. She stormed out to the backyard, not wanting to risk running into Klaus just yet.

She sat on the back steps and looked out onto the sprawling grounds, not turning when Rebekah took a seat next to her. “Every time I want to give up on my brother, am convinced that he’s completely lost to his demons, I see flickers of his humanity, of the boy I once knew who sat with me through scary storms, who drew me pictures and gave me gifts. Little Wolf. That was his endearment for you. I know how confusing this all is for you, but, hearing that he called you that again…it gave me hope again that all was not lost for him.”

“I can’t be responsible for his redemption,” Hayley said, shaking her head. “I can’t take that on as well as this.” She rubbed her stomach.

“But you were obviously affected when he called you that,” Rebekah reminded her.

“Yeah. It totally threw me. I could imagine being her…that young, sweet, innocent girl who loved your brother, who glowed when he called her that. It was all there inside of me in this big rush.”

“That’s what love is like. It’s this big rush that comes over you again and again and you can’t control it as much as you’d want to.”

“You mean you and Marcel?” Hayley asked carefully, almost laughing at the surprise on Rebekah’s face. “It’s kind of hard to miss the way you two looked at each other when I first saw you.”

“Well…” The fair woman blushed. “Considering he’s dating your best friend I suggest we not talk about it because it could get awkward.”

“Good idea,” Hayley agreed. “Just…well, like you said, she is my best friend so if something is going between the two of you…I don’t want her to get hurt.”

Rebekah shook her head. “It was a long time ago. Marcel and I have both accepted that we can’t go back.”

“Maybe that’s the way things are between Klaus and I. Somethings are better staying in the past.”

“You won’t know that until you regain your memory. You’re also having his child. That makes it a touch harder to break things off.”

Hayley nodded and looked towards the back door to make sure that they weren’t overheard. “You never told him about the other baby, did you?”

Rebekah shook her head. “It seemed cruel to somehow and he was already so destroyed. He couldn’t handle it. I don’t think even now.”

Hayley nodded in agreement though a part of her felt guilty for keeping it from him. If he was any other man, maybe it was something they could share and grieve over together like other couples would but they weren’t like other couples. Hell, they weren’t even a couple. They were two people having a baby together that neither of them planned for.

“I tell you that to also tell you this. Don’t ever cross my brother. Nik doesn’t handle betrayal well, as I well know. When he found out about Marcel and I, Niklaus has never approved of any one I have ever loved and the only reason he didn’t kill Marcel was because he loves him like a son. Loving me like a sister however was not enough to keep him from daggering me and sticking me in a coffin for decades.”

“Double standard much?” Hayley asked.

“That’s my darling brother. So while I think loving you could heal part of what is broken in him as well as you, I think who you are now could actually serve you better than it did if you were still Andrea. You’ll be more careful, cautious.”

“Or I’ll just be smarter and not go down that road again at all.”

Rebekah just smiled.

“Hayley! Where is she? Hayley!” Camille’s voice carried from the front of the house and Hayley scrambled to her feet and ran inside to greet her friend.

Camille sagged with relief and then threw her arms around Hayley, hugging her tightly.

Hayley closed her eyes and inhaled her friend’s comforting perfume and buried herself in the warmth.

“Are you feeling all right? Is the baby okay? What the hell is wrong with you? She needs prenatal care, she needs to see a doctor, she needs prenatal vitamins. She does not need to be held hostage by you in this admittedly gorgeous, sprawling yet psychotic mansion,” Camille directed her tirade towards Klaus who crossed his arms over his chest.

“You’re welcome Camille for allowing you to come visit even though you are currently fucking my enemy who is in current possession of my brother. Do you take one lump of sugar in your tea or two?”

   Camille stared from Klaus to Hayley. “Is he for real?”

“Oh I could not make him up,” Hayley assured her friend.

“Rebekah, have you met Camille? I’m sure the two of you could find something in common to talk about while I go see about the tea,” Klaus teased.

Hayley groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“If you’ll excuse me I have a few errands to run,” Rebekah said shoving at her brother’s chest before grabbing her purse and walking out.

“Well, the two of you could move into the living room if you’d like to catch up on girl talk, braid each other’s hair. You will call me when the pillow fight starts, won’t you?”

Hayley glared at him. “Go away.”

She waited until she was sure he was gone before moving with Camille over to the couch.

“All right, now how are you really?” Cami asked her.

“I’m okay considering a bunch of crazy witches want to use me and this little one to mobilize Klaus to help them kill your boyfriend.”

“Yeah, Klaus mentioned that. He assured me that he has no intention of killing Marcel. He is after all ‘family’ even if he isn’t blood related,” Cami said, using air quotes around the word family.

“Did you believe him?” Hayley asked.

“Do you?” Cami countered.

“I honestly don’t know and that scares the shit out of me because after everything Rebekah told me about him. I mean he daggered his own brother and it’s not the first time for either of his siblings. He didn’t outright kill them but…seriously, Cami, what am I doing bringing another Mikaelson into this world knowing how Klaus treats his family!”

“So you’ve decided to keep it?” Cami asked.

Hayley slowly nodded. “When those bastards tried to grab me last night. I felt…I don’t know, it was almost like a rage that they would dare try to threaten my child’s life. Tell me I’m insane, right? The smart thing to do would be to get rid of it, right?”

Cami took her hand. “The smart thing to do is what you feel it is. What feels right in here.” She pointed at Hayley’s heart.

“Yeah well that particular organ hasn’t led me to make the best decisions thus far.”

Cami raised an eyebrow. “Meaning?”

“Oh just that while Elijah was lying daggered on the floor, Klaus went insane and kissed me and I took my sweet time to stop him.”

Cami took a deep breath. “Oh…Okay. Well, I think they left that part out of Fifty Shades Of Grey.”


	21. Chapter Twenty-One

**Chapter Twenty-One**

**Love Is The Only Force Capable Of Transforming An Enemy Into A Friend**

After catching Cami up on what Hayley had discovered this far about her own past, including the baby she had lost, which Hayley made Cami promise she would never reveal to anyone, especially Klaus until Hayley herself was ready to do so, she felt a lot better and more hopeful for the future and more convinced she was making the right decision keeping this baby.

She would make sure that Klaus let Cami come back. Hayley went to seek him out, heading up to the second floor figuring he’d be in his studio. He wasn’t, but entering it again, hit her with a rush of sense memory that made her heart race a little faster.

Her eye was drawn back to the painting with the little girl. She now knew that it was her and now so did he.

She heard him enter the room. “Thanks for leaving Cami and I alone to talk.”

“Yes well, if you two were going to talk about the latest episode of The Bachelorette, I didn’t want to be spoiled,” he joked.

She couldn’t help laugh at that and the way his face lit up at the sound made her heart squeeze. She looked away from him and back to the painting. “You loved her very much, didn’t you?”

“I did.”

“I saw it. That flash of pain in your eyes when I told you I was going to kill the baby. That was part of why I did it. To hurt you for back in the cemetery. I wanted to hurt you.”

He clenched his jaw. “I have long ago taken the power away from anyone to hurt me. You can’t hurt a man who feels nothing.”

“Right. But you and I both know that’s not you. I may not remember much about my own life, but I do know you. It’s all here. Everything you feel is in this room. Maybe you don’t want to feel and that’s what makes you such an asshole. I need to believe that if I’m going to have this kid and not have it grow up with a monster for a father.” She looked back at the painting. “What do you think she would think about all this? Andrea Labonair. About what you’ve done. This war you’re so determined to fight.”

“She’d be horrified, but Andrea refused to believe that I was a monster. In the end she paid for it with her life.”

“Yeah, and was reborn a monster herself.”

Klaus grabbed her so fast Hayley jumped. “No! You may not remember who you are, but let me assure you, you could never be a monster.”

The passion in his words and in his eyes made it hard to fight the part of her inside that wanted to believe him, that wanted so much more.

“You don’t know what I’ve done, Klaus. I don’t even know what I’ve done for whole centuries of my life.”

“We could find a spell to bring your memory back,” Klaus offered.

“Yeah, Cami suggested the same thing. Well, not a spell obviously, but hypnotherapy. I’m kind of freaked to do it. I think it’s time though, for this little one’s sake. I think it would be cool if at least one of his or her parents had all their marbles.”

Klaus lips quirked in a smile.

“Cami also said something else. About you and Marcel. That you once loved each other like family. What happened?”

She watched the warmth fall from his face and almost wished she hadn’t bought it up, but she needed to know what she was facing as Marcel’s friend and Klaus’s…well…whatever the hell they were to each other.

“I made Marcel everything he is. Over a hundred years ago my father found us, here in New Orleans and ran us out. We thought Marcel had died. Instead of seeking us out, instead of sticking together, he made a choice, to take everything we built and make it his own. That ‘M’ he stamps everywhere. It’s not for ‘Marcel’. It’s for ‘Mikaelson’,” he replied, his voice cold. “I want it all back and if I have to push him out to get it then that’s what I’ll do.”

Hayley ran a hand along the painting, her heart breaking for the little girl she had been. “Marcel is one of my best friends. He helped me more times than I can count, kept my secrets, saved my life. I won’t let you hurt him. He is also like family to me.”

Klaus pinned her with his gaze. “Do I need to remind you that it is my child you carry? That should be where your loyalty lies.”

Hayley stiffened. “My loyalty is to this baby. It is not to some power grab that will destroy its home and I will make sure that it grows up safe and loved and I will be too happy to remind _you_ of that, should you need it.” She walked past him and left him in the studio alone.

She was waiting for Rebekah outside by the pool after dinner.  “Cami is bringing a doctor friend of hers here to give me a check up since Klaus won’t let me leave while the witches are out there waiting to pounce.”

“He wants to keep you and the baby safe. Though he’d never come out and say it, of course,” Rebekah pointed out.

“Right. Well instead of aligning himself with Marcel against the witches, he’s going to make war against him and I refuse to let that happen so…” Hayley reached down and pulled out wrapped daggers from underneath her seat. With a surety that she was doing the right thing, she handed them to Rebekah.

Rebekah looked at her curiously and unwrapped the fabric, giving a little gasp when the daggers were revealed. “Where did you find these?”

“Now you can get Elijah back without worrying about Klaus sticking you in a box.”

Rebekah stared at her in amazement, then reached over and hugged her. “Thank you.”

Hayley stiffened in surprise. “Oh. Um, okay.” She hugged her back awkwardly at, then found herself settling against her as a warmth and affection moved through her and she could imagine at one time she must have loved this woman very much. “I have a condition though,” Hayley warned.

Rebekah pulled back and looked at her warily. “Oh I know that look.”

“I’m coming with you to find Elijah.”

Rebekah groaned.

“Come on. Elijah was kind to me. I owe him and I cannot stay cooped up in this place all day. Fresh air. That’s good for the baby, right? And you’d be with me so I’d still be protected,” she grinned eagerly.

Rebekah gave a soft giggle and shook her head. “You may not remember being Andrea but you still retain the uncanny ability to make those around you do what you want whether they want to or not with a sweet smile and a guileless look.”

“Awesome, so let’s go.”

Rebekah drugged Klaus’s evening tea (how very English, Hayley remarked) to knock him out for the night while she and Hayley snuck out of the house.

“I feel like I’m sneaking out of my house to get drunk,” Hayley whispered as they made their way outside. She paused then. “Was that even real? Any of it?”

Rebekah flushed guiltily in the darkness. “I don’t know. I compelled you to forget your past and put you on a ship to America, as far away from Mikael and our family as I could get you.”

“And then washed your hands of me. Got it,” Hayley snapped, a fresh burst of anger gripping her. She closed her eyes. “Sorry. Still a bit bitter about the whole ‘not knowing anything about my past’ thing.”

“You’re entitled,” Rebekah said. “I compelled a family to take you in as their child. Making them believe they had adopted you as a baby. After that…I don’t know.”

Then a whisper of knowledge in the back of Hayley’s mind. Every time her vampire self became known, she’d have to run. Century after century. There’d be moments of home, of safety, family, friendship and then she’d have to run.

Rebekah took her hand. “You don’t have to run anymore.”

Hayley wanted to believe her, but she didn’t.

They stopped outside Marcel’s club, empty at the late hour except for Camille and Marcel, apparently on a date. Rebekah went straight for him. “Where is my brother?”

“Hello to you too,” Marcel said then made the introductions.

Rebekah grabbed Marcel and shoved him against the wall.

“Hey! Easy!” Hayley insisted but Rebekah paid her no mind.

   “What the hell?” Camille asked looking at Hayley.

She shook her head.

“Tell me where my brother is or I will kill you!” Rebekah screamed at him.

“Oh geez,” Hayley groaned. “Bad cop. Bad cop.”

The air suddenly changed as Marcel met Rebekah’s gaze head on and smiled. “No. You won’t.”

Hayley didn’t dare look at Camille because no one could miss the way Marcel and Rebekah looked at each other…like they wanted to devour each other whole.

They reminded her of-

“You’re right. I won’t.” Then in a lightening quick move Rebekah had Camille up against the wall and choking her. “But I will kill her.”

“What the fuck, no!” Hayley shouted. “This was not a part of the plan. Let her go right now!”

“Fine,” Marcel said. “Leave her alone and I’ll take you to Elijah.”

Hayley gave Camille an apologetic look and Marcel compelled her to go home.

“We’re gonna talk about this later,” Hayley snapped at Rebekah as they followed Marcel out of his club.

 “Yes, I’m sure we are. You can spank my bottom after we find Elijah.”

Marcel took them to Father Kiernan, Camille’s uncle’s church.

“You didn’t bury him did you?” Hayley asked.

Marcel led them up into the attic where they spotted what had to be Elijah’s casket.

Hayley and Rebekah stopped in the doorway and found they couldn’t move. Hayley rolled her eyes. “Really?”

Marcel cocked an eyebrow. “You and I are going to have a chat about you going along with this ambush later but…Come on out, Davina.”

A beautiful young girl with dark hair and green eyes, who looked no more than sixteen stepped closer to him.

“Invite them in,” Marcel said.

In a soft, sweet but wary voice the girl instructed them to enter the room. Rebekah went straight for the coffin while Hayley looked around, noticing the various paintings and drawings and the large bed.  

“Who are you?” Hayley asked her. “Do you…like…live here?”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Davina warned Rebekah as she went to remove the dagger from Elijah’s chest.

Hayley felt relief swamp her when she turned and assured herself that yes, Elijah was there in the coffin, if not necessarily safe and sound, then at least whole.

Rebekah glared at the teenager. “Who the hell are you?”

“Davina,” she replied, all hostile teenager.

She rather reminded Hayley of herself…or what Hayley thought had been herself at that age. Angry at the world.

“Rebekah’s an Original which means she can’t be killed.”

“She’s not very nice,” Davina sneered.

“She can be,” Marcel said, meeting Rebekah’s eyes. “But she hasn’t been very nice to me tonight.”

“Then I’m afraid it’s time for you to leave,” Davina said and pushed both Rebekah and Hayley against the wall with her mind.

Hayley watched in shock as Davina sent Rebekah through the open shutter out the window.

Marcel looked at Hayley in annoyance. “Her you can let down. Easy though, she’s pregnant.”

“Really?” Davina asked, curious eyes moving to Hayley’s belly.

“Did you just throw her out a window?” Hayley rushed to the window but the shutter slammed shut. She turned and glared at Davina. “Listen, kid.”

“No, you listen,” Marcel said. “What the hell are you doing traipsing around in the dark with Rebekah where the witches can just grab you off the street?”

She pointed at the coffin in the corner.

“That is between me and Klaus. It has nothing to do with you.”

“Elijah is a friend of mine. I’m not just going to let you keep him up here like some kind of ghoulish souvenir!”

“Yes, you are. You don’t know what Klaus is capable of, okay? I do.”

“Oh don’t you dare!” Hayley snapped. “Don’t you dare use my memory loss against me. That is not fair!”

Marcel lifted his hands, instantly apologetic. “I’m sorry, babe. I didn’t mean it like that. Really. I just mean, as a matter of fact, the Klaus you knew and the Klaus I know are two very different people.”

“But you loved him once,” Hayley reminded him softly, watching as the sadness moved across his face before, like Klaus, the cold mask dropped over his face. Klaus must have taught him that, she thought. “Cami told me you were like family before Mikael found them again. Does Cami even know what you’re doing?”

A guilty flicker.

“Of course she doesn’t,” Hayley confirmed for him. “Because Elijah is a friend of hers too and you know she would have your ass on a plate if she knew you what you were doing!”

“Hey, Klaus, came to me. What was I supposed to do? Turn his offer down?”

“Yes! For Cami’s sake and for the undeniable fact that no one is going to win this war.”

He smiled, a fake, pacifying smile that made Hayley’s teeth clench because she knew what his bullshit smile looked like directed at others. “Babe, there’s no war this way, see? I hang on to Elijah for insurance, Klaus and I keep the peace, everybody’s happy.”

“Yeah. That might work on anyone who doesn’t know you. How are you okay with this?” This she directed to Davina. “You’re a witch, right? How are you okay with Marcel trying to destroy you’re people or…Christ, Marcel are you keeping this child hostage too?”

“Marcel is my friend! And I’m seventeen.” Davina insisted, looking about ready throw _her_ out the window next.

“The witches are after Davina so I’m protecting her.”

Hayley groaned. “Okay, why would the witches want to kill one of their own?”

“To complete an ancient harvest ritual so they can strengthen their magic,” Marcel explained.

“You all are giving me a fucking migraine.”

“Don’t worry about it, okay? Stress isn’t good for the baby, right?”

Hayley pinned him with a glare. “Pregnant or not, I will kick your ass.”

This time his smile was more genuine. “I’m just asking you to keep quiet about Davina for a while.”

Hayley exhaled and ran her fingers through her hair in frustration, but then stiffened and raised an eyebrow. “Okay, you like making deals, let’s make a deal. You give Elijah back to his siblings, and I won’t tell Cami you kept him in a coffin in her uncle’s attic and I won’t tell her or anyone that you’ve got an seventeen year old witch hiding up here too. You don’t and I go straight to her.”

True to her word, Hayley said nothing to Cami though she hated keeping anything from her friend.  As it turned out, her friend was debating how to tell her something as well and had been trying the day after Hayley and Rebekah had snuck out to find Elijah.

“I wanted to wait until you could get out of here and go home but this thing with Klaus and the witches and Marcel doesn’t seem to be blowing over any time soon and I need to do it before Klaus finds out I know and compels me to forget it which I would not put past him.”

Hayley sat up straighter on the back step. “What is it?”

“Klaus told McCready and the rest of the police department that you’re a hybrid. They’re kicking you out.”

Shock and fury moved through her at the same time. “He what?”

“Yeah. They’re going to be asking you for your badge. If it helps, McCready went to bat for you with the mayor, reminding him about your exemplary record but that asshole refused to hear anything other than you’re one of _them,”_ Cami replied with air quotes around ‘them’.

“That bastard,” Hayley seethed. Looking back into the house. “That miserable fucking…I’m going to kill him.” Getting to her feet, she stormed through the door and down the hallway. “Klaus!”

“Look, Hayley, I get that you’re angry but you need to stay calm for the baby’s sake, okay?” Cami warned. “I didn’t tell you this so you could-”

Hayley smiled, her blood boiling. “I am perfectly calm, Cami. I’ll talk to you later. I will remain perfectly calm as I tear Klaus Mikaelson’s limbs off one by one.”

“I’m not leaving you alone in case he hurts you,” Cami insisted.

“He’s not going to hurt me while I’m carrying his baby. KLAUS!” Hayley shouted again.

  Reluctantly, Cami left and Hayley ran up the stairs to kill the father of her child. She found him in his studio, painting without a care in the world. “Did you not hear me calling you?”

“I heard a barking fishwife, is what I heard,” Klaus said, not turning around.

Hayley saw red. Grabbing a tin of paint off the table, she threw it at his head.

 With irritating ease, he whipped around and caught it.

“You told them! You son of a bitch.” She grabbed a jar with brushes soaking in it. He caught that too but the murky water splashing into his face did give her some satisfaction.

“You’ll have to be more specific, love,” he said, reaching for a towel and wiping his face.

She rushed at him with her fists, catching him on the jaw. “McCready. You asshole! You told them all what I was and now my career is over. How could you?”

Klaus looked at her. “How could I?” he asked softly. “How could I indeed.” There was an eerie stillness to his voice, to his entire being that should have warned her but she was too furious to heed it.

Rage was roaring in her ears so loudly that she was sure she’d heard his next words wrong, a frisson of dread moving through her. “What?”

He stepped closer, towering over her, his breath warm against her face even as his words chilled her. “What. Happened. To. Our. First. Baby?”


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

**I Could Easily Forgive His Pride If He Had Not Mortified Mine**

If he’d reared back and punched her, it couldn’t have shocked her more. Her body felt weightless as her mind struggled to register both how he could possibly have known and what she could possibly say.

“How did you find out?”

He gripped her upper arms painfully. “That was not the question!”

 “Let me go,” Hayley demanded.

“No, not until you answer me-”

“You’re hurting me, damn it!”

He shook her. “My dear, if I wanted to, I could snap you in two right now. Did you get rid of it like you would have done to this one?”

She didn’t know where she got the strength to wrench herself out of his iron grip but she did and then slapped him as hard as she could as a horrified sob burst from her. “I LOVED OUR BABY!” She screamed at him, not realizing until that very moment just how true it was. Rebekah had told her that the loss of their child had driven her insane, the agony that welled up now at the mere suggestion that she had killed it willingly threatened to bring her to her knees. “You want to blame someone for the death of our first child, you blame Daddy Dearest!” she seethed, tears streaming down her face.

Klaus closed his eyes and shuddered, stepping back from her. “Mikael?” His face was white.

“Oh, was whoever it was a little stingy on the info?” She asked. “And how did you even find out about it?” Rebekah wouldn’t have told him as she was the one who advised her not to tell Klaus to begin with and Cami would never betray her confid…

She closed her eyes. “Of course. Why didn’t I think of it before? No wonder you agreed to let Cami come visit. You’d just compel her to spill her guts to you, right? Private conversations, anything about Marcel, right? You certifiable ass!” Hayley shoved at him, blushing red hot as she feared how much Cami had been forced to divulge about Hayley’s own thoughts and feelings about Klaus.

“Lucky for me that I did or I would never have any knowledge about the child at all, now would I?” Klaus shot back.

“What do you care? You told the witches to kill me and this baby, remember, and I’m supposed to think you would want to know about the one that died, that you would give a damn? Why the hell would I ever tell you? Honestly, Klaus! You can’t have it both ways. You can’t treat me like shit, like I am nothing and then demand loyalty and to know all. You don’t have the right, do you hear me?” She screamed at him.

He grabbed her and hauled her against him. “I don’t have the right? _I_ don’t? I have more right above _anyone_! Or have you forgotten that you belong to me? You’re bonded to me and I to you.”

“You were bonded to _her._ To that poor girl who was stupid enough to love you. I don’t suffer that delusion, got it? I, me, Hayley, mean nothing to you, well guess what? You mean nothing to me! Absolutely nothing! I feel nothing at all for you, you got me, you psychotic jack ass!” She shoved at him and he tightened his grip on her, his face lowering to hers.

“You are a liar and we both know it.” Then he gripped her jaw and kissed her, knocking the breath out of her body and sending hot lust shooting though her body so that for a confused moment, torn between rage and lust, Hayley couldn’t move.

A burst of logic fought to break through but her nails dug into his shoulders as he slid his fingers into her hair, holding her head still with a growl of possession.

His tongue met hers and Hayley whimpered as her body overrode any fight and pressed closer. Arms went around his neck and a distant part of her marvelled at how easily she gave in. The stronger voiced urged her to give in, that they both needed this because words weren’t working for them.

Then she was pushing against his chest, trying to guide him back towards his bedroom, but Klaus must have thought she was trying to push him away because he made his body rigid and held her tighter.

Instead, she tugged at the bottom of the blue t-shirt he wore, pulling it up and she felt the sudden inhale of his breath as understanding dawned. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her off her feet, kicking at his bedroom door to swing it open.

She wrapped her legs around him and shivered as he laid her down on the bed only long enough to tug off his shirt, before being unable to resist coming in for another kiss, blue eyes lit with need. Somehow, he was easier to understand like this. All ego, and fear, and confusion fell away and it was all there in how he looked at her, how he touched her. He seemed more real to her now, even as her own fear whispered that it was Andrea he wanted, not her as she was now, that this wasn’t real, just a reaction to their anger and heightened emotions. And were the emotions real, anyway or just a manufactured product of their being bonded, like a love potion that gripped them and hadn’t ever worn off. Would they feel this if it wasn’t for the bonding?

Hayley clutched him close to her once they were finally skin to skin. She slid her fingers into his hair, tightening her grip, willing him to understand, trying to understand him, wanting to believe that who he was showing her now was the real Klaus.

His mouth moved from her lips down the column of her neck to her breasts, making her breath hitch as he attended to first one then the other with his lips and tongue. Little pulses of sensation shimmered from the heat of his mouth downwards to throb between her legs. His mouth followed the path down and Hayley sucked in her breath, watching his descent. A flicker of a memory moved through her mind as she watched his head settled between her legs.

_“Wait, where are you going?” He parted her thighs and her confusion grew. All the breath left her body when he closed his mouth over her center and flicked at her folds with his tongue. Her thighs clamped so tight around his head. “What are doing? Oh God….”_

_He chuckled and pushed her thighs apart to he could continue. She never imagined such a thing! His tongue licked, his lips sucked and his teeth grazed places she thought were not meant to be touched in that way but oh sweet heaven it was glorious! She wondered if it was a part of his hybrid nature that made him engage in such things because surely normal men didn’t do this. All of a sudden her release slammed into her with frightening speed and Andrea covered her mouth to stifle her scream though Niklaus had assured her long ago that the sound wouldn’t carry._

_“Oh my God…Oh my God…Oh my God….” Andrea panted._

_“I have wanted to do that to you for over a fucking year,” he said, climbing back up her body. “Now, open for me again, Little Wolf because I mean to make up for lost time.” He slid his hands underneath her body and lifted her slightly off the mattress. He parted her still too sensitive folds with his cock and Andrea whimpered at the almost painful exquisiteness._

“Oh God…I remember this…I remember the first…did…this…” Hayley gripped the sheet beneath her as his tongue and lips played her body perfectly.

Klaus stopped and looked up at her, his face suddenly softer, his eyes warmer. “Do you, Little Wo-” He stopped and she felt a pang of guilt for how quickly he stifled the endearment.

He was a good lover. As angry as they were with each other, Klaus didn’t take her selfishly. Using his mouth and his fingers, he sent her over the edge twice before she was pleading with him with come into her.

“You do it,” He ordered, his long body now looming over her, resting between her hips. “You put my cock inside of you.”

Hayley read the challenge in his eyes, even as full of need as they were. He would not _take_ her and give her an out that she had ‘given in’ to him. If she wanted him, she would take him.

She met his gaze and raised an eyebrow. She pushed him onto his back and his eyes lit up, pleased. Hayley took his hands and pinned them to the pillow, before straddling him.

“Oh dear, now what?” He asked, his smile now playful.

That smile caught her right in the heart and she wanted to bathe in that smile. She wanted this to last. She was keeping their baby and this baby deserved to have parents who kept this feeling right now between them alive. She wanted this for her baby so much. Hayley reached down and took Klaus in her hand and settled herself down over him with a sigh that matched his groan as he arched his neck.

Oh he felt so perfect inside of her. Hayley trembled with sensations gripping her as she rocked her hips and rose and fell above him.

“Ah yes, love, take me just like that…Just…like that…” he groaned, his blue eyes now glowing amber.

Did her eyes look like that too? The heavy, throbbing cloak of heat in the room made her think yes. His hands cupped her hips and moved up, not guiding her, letting her control her movements. He cupped her breasts and Hayley squeezed herself around his cock as his palms closed over her swollen flesh, grazing the hard peaks of her nipples.

“Oh God…” she moaned, her body moving faster now, hungrily, wanting more. She leaned down and kissed him. “Your turn,” she pleaded, trembling. “Take me. Fuck me.”

“Please, sweet heart?” Driving his hips up once, enough to make her gasp, so close to her orgasm, the scream was building in her throat.

“Please,” she said.

He pulled her close and flipped her over so that she was now beneath him. Long, thick, flesh parted damp, exquisitely sensitive flesh and Hayley moaned, lifting her hips as he slid inside.

The world around them blurred and shimmered like waves of a humid August heatwave.

He rested his forehead against hers for a moment, his eyes closed and Hayley knew he felt it too. This had to be love because she couldn’t imaging feeling anything stronger than this and not losing her mind.

Maybe they were both insane and that’s what this was, a passionate, intense madness that would one day kill them both.

His eyes opened and they were once again, blue, clear and tinged with a regret she didn’t understand until he spoke. He whispered it low, like a secret in her ear he wasn’t brave enough to say at a higher volume. “I regret my cruelty to you. What I said in the cemetery. I didn’t know how to feel what I did and so I lashed out. I wish I could be a better man for you, Hayley.”

She cupped his face and kissed him. She wasn’t good at the forgiveness thing but she had the feeling Klaus Mikaelson wasn’t a man who was good at asking for it. It had hurt worse than anything she ever remembered feeling but she had to try. For this baby’s sake, she had to forgive Klaus…and maybe for her own sake too. “I’m sorry too,” she replied, referring to buying the poison and he knew it.

He eased back and pushed in, hard, making her gasp and now that the words were out, and the hurts…if not forgotten, at least forgiven, they gave themselves up to the need raging between them for completion. He thrust deep, gathering her against him and diving harder and harder, his breath harsh against her face as she moved beneath him, with him, watching a bead of sweat making its way along the column of his flushed neck. She lifted her mouth to it, licking it and wondered what it would be like to feed from him, the idea sent her over the edge. Klaus swelled and burst inside of her in hot, thick rush, triggering her own orgasm.

She buried her face in his neck, riding out the pulse and throb between both of them until the sensations ebbed into a gradual hum of contentment.

She should feel regret that she’d fallen into his bed again, but Hayley found none.

He settled himself next to her on the bed. “Are you all right, Lit-”

He stopped himself and again Hayley felt guilt. She knew it was hard for him to separate her from Andrea and considering how much he had loved who she had been, maybe she should cut him some slack about it. She also didn’t understand it, but there was part of her missed it, missed something she had no memory of hearing beyond how it made her feel. Maybe if she accepted that part of herself, it would help her memory return, though the jury was out on if that would end up biting her on the ass later.

“I’m sorry I freaked out when you called me that before. Little Wolf. You can if you want to.”

He was quiet beside her. “Are you all right, Little Wolf?”

Hearing it the second time was a little easier but she still fought the urge to burst into tears because of the wave of emotion that filled her heart, both sadness and joy at the same time that was so devastatingly confusing. She took a deep breath and tried to steady her voice. “Yeah. I’m okay.”

He was quiet for another moment and when she turned to look at him, he seemed to be struggling to ask her something, the tip of his ear pink. “I didn’t hurt it, did I?”

Hayley looked at him blankly. “Huh?”

He wouldn’t look at her, his cheeks now bright pink against his fair skin, no longer the flush of sex.

Sex. Oh!

When realization dawned, Hayley couldn’t help the burst of laughter that escaped her…and nor could she stop. She curled up onto her side and laughed her damned ass off. It felt so good to have the light moment that Hayley gave herself up to it, shaking and laughing so hard tears filled her eyes.

“Lovely,” Klaus drawled, rolling his eyes. “Are you quite done?”

“Oh, oh wait…” she tried to stop laughing long enough to pretend to consider it, but the giggles gripped her again. “Nope. Not done.”

When she could finally control herself, he was already heading to the shower, but not before throwing a pillow at her head.

She thought about joining him in the shower but it seemed a bit too…couple-y and she didn’t think they were quite there…mind blowing sex notwithstanding. She lay still for a moment, hands on her belly and noticed the rapid sound of the baby’s heartbeat, softer than it usually sounded. “Yeah, I appreciate you bowing out for that, kiddo. No need to scar you for life.”

But was its heart beating so fast because her own was only beginning to slow, or because it was happy its parents had managed not to kill each other for two seconds? She hoped it was happy.

Klaus came out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist.

Hayley reminded herself one momentary lapse a day was really all that was she should allow herself but… _God_ but she was attracted to him.

He was uncertain around her now. Dare she say… _shy?_ “I can get dressed out here if you’d like to…” He pointed to the shower.

“Oh um…okay. I’ll just go back to my room and pick up…” She stopped, wrapped in his blanket and turned to him. “This feels weirdly familiar. Leaving your room after…”

Klaus’s face lit up. “Yes. We did that often. Stolen moments for propriety’s sake.”

“How very old school,” she remarked.

He was down in the living room when she found him again, sitting at the piano.

“Let me guess. The brooding extends from painting to playing the piano in the middle of the night too?” Hayley teased.

The corner of his mouth lifted. “Sometimes. Did you know? When we were together, before I left the day of the wedding. Did you know you were pregnant?”

She shook her head. “I think I only found out during the transition…when it died and they had to…” She shuddered. “I didn’t keep it from you to punish you.” She thought it best not to mention Rebekah’s role. “I didn’t remember and then when I did…It seemed cruel to tell you about a baby that died so horribly that you would never know.”

“I was cruel to you.”

Hayley shrugged. “Yeah. Well, I’m more evolved than you are.”

“You always were. Better than me. You were everything that was good and sweet and pure,” he said softly, his eyes scanning her face.

“Don’t,” she urged, shaking her head. “I’m not like that anymore. Life happened.”

He gave a snort of disbelief. “The first night you slept here, right before you woke up, I touched your face and you made this sound and you smiled. You did that often…before. When you were just on the cusp of waking, I’d touch you and…it was something between a soft sigh and gasp. You did it again that night.”

“Klaus…” Hayley blinked back tears.

He gave a rueful smile and shrugged. “My brother insists on fighting for my redemption no matter how much I tell him I will never be the brother he knew before…life happened, as you say. I suppose I’m just as stubbornly determined to search out Andrea in you. She’s there. A part of you and I’ll never give up trying to bring her back.”

“So it’s her you want?” She stiffened. “Was that her you just fucked upstairs?”

He cupped her face. “I’m not…I don’t know how to speak like Elijah and always say the right thing. I see you and you’re you and you’re her. That’s the only way I can explain what happens between us when I look at you, when I touch you. You’re not two separate people. You just think you are.”

Hayley looked at him as his words penetrated. Hearing it like that…gave her hope that she wouldn’t always be this fragmented creature, like maybe she’d find that good part of herself again. “And maybe you’re not so beyond redemption as you think you are,” she offered back.

He pulled back, a wry grin on his face. “There she is, the girl I knew who always believed in the good in people.” He stood up and went to stand by the window. “I’ve agreed to help the witches against Marcel. As long as Sophie is still linked to you, you’re in danger and so is the baby. So for now, I’ll go along with them while I go after Marcel.”

“Or you could just…maybe…not go after Marcel?” Hayley suggested.

He narrowed his eyes at her. “You would just have me give up what is mine?” Klaus shook his head. “Don’t mistake my affection for you as an open invitation to manipulate me.”

“Aaaannnd he’s back,” Hayley sighed, shaking her head. “Stupid me to hope that maybe psycho Klaus had been replaced by an actual person.”

“Hayley-”

“Look, I get it, okay? I get that Marcel hijacked what you started for himself and you want to make him pay for that. I’m not saying you don’t deserve to have what is rightfully yours but…what is this gonna cost you, everyone around you, our child when it finally comes? I mean, I’m just asking you to try and see the big picture here.”

“I’m doing this for our child. How can I protect her from my enemies if I’m powerless?”

“How about you stop making enemies?”

He cocked his head like a puppy who just discovered a new sound and Hayley groaned.

“Spoken like a true cop. Hayley, my father wants to kill me, my mother wants to kill me. They have their own weapons one of which my father decided to create in you knowing I can never kill him now. This is not just about power. It’s about survival.”

“So then _join_ Marcel!” Hayley urged. “Your army and his would be unstoppable.”

Klaus ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “I cannot appear weak before my enemies. Marcel betrayed our family and I have to be shown to make him pay for that betrayal. I’m sorry if you can’t understand that but you’ll just have to deal with it.”

“Deal with it?” Hayley asked, feeling a renewed surge of anger. “Marcel is dating my best friend. Oh and FYI, you will leave Cami alone from now on, got it? No trying to get her to spy for you, no compelling, nothing! Is that clear?”

His eyes glittered angrily before he seemed to calm and gave her a smile that put her instantly on alert. “Come with me to Marcel’s party this weekend.”


	23. Chapter Twenty-Three

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

**True Love Is Loving An Imperfect Person Perfectly**

Hayley was sure Klaus was up to something. He was being too agreeable. Too… _nice._ She agreed to go with him to the party at Marcel’s on one condition; that he get Elijah back from him. It had been more than enough time since Hayley had given Marcel the ultimatum. Enough was enough. She told Cami about Klaus compelling her, to which Cami responded with understandable raging.

Hayley had planned to tell Klaus where Marcel was hiding Elijah and tell Cami about what Marcel was doing, to take them both there…until it occurred to her that she no longer remembered where that was. “That ass!” Hayley seethed slamming the refrigerator door. “He compelled me to forget it. I’m gonna kill him when I see him tonight.” She picked up the bottle of prenatal vitamins Cami had dropped off on her last visit and unscrewed the cap.

“Hmm, you’ll have to get in line,” Rebekah grumbled, biting into an apple.

“There will be no killing until after the party,” Klaus insisted. “Once we get Elijah back, I will be the one stringing Marcel up.”

“If it wasn’t for you, he wouldn’t even have Elijah,” Hayley pointed out, glaring back when Klaus narrowed his eyes at her.

“Yes, well, Nik will be fixing that, won’t you, brother?” Rebekah asked.

“If you have a problem with my methods, dear sister, a reminder that I have a nice cozy coffin just waiting for you downstairs.”

Hayley met Rebekah’s gaze smugly. Before Klaus could notice the look, she quickly diverted him from that line of thought. “I just can’t believe knowing what Marcel does about how I lost so much of my memory that he would play that card. It’s pretty damned low.”

“You’re taking this much too personally, Hayley. War is an ugly business. I’m sure Marcel is very fond of you, but unfortunately you possessed information that he didn’t want revealed. One thing has nothing to do with the other,” Klaus insisted.

“Oh, so I’m just collateral damage in your little pissing contest. Good to know,” Hayley snapped, slamming her glass down on the counter and storming out of the kitchen.

Rebekah followed her out as Hayley made her way through the hall. “Hayley, wait.”

“You know, Rebekah, I am so sick of this damn thing between them. How far are they gonna take this, huh? They have no problem playing with people’s lives as long as one of them wins. Christ! Everyone’s fair game? My baby? Is that an acceptable risk for them? Klaus just found out our first baby died. Instead of grieving that, no, he’s back focused on winning New Orleans back from Marcel like it doesn’t even matter.” Hayley kicked the screen door open and rested herself against the front of the house, fuming.

Rebekah closed her eyes and exhaled. “Nik killed twenty people the night Cami told him your baby died. He didn’t want you to know. It’s the only way he can deal with grief, rage. He needs blood on his hands.”

Hayley’s legs buckled and her mouth dropped in horror…but understanding now as she remembered she hadn’t reacted any differently when she had found out. The first time. She had broken and killed as well. She liked to think she could deal with her feelings better now but… She turned back to the doorway, in sympathy for the man inside even as she was horrified at what he had done. She understood what he’d felt. What did that say about her? About the kind of life waiting for this new baby?

“Let’s get out of here for a few hours, hmm? I’ve seen your dismal wardrobe, no offense and you need something to wear for the party tonight,” Rebekah offered.

“Oh, you think the warden will allow it?” Hayley said dryly.

Rebekah bought her a black sleek gown that flattered Hayley like a dream. It fit along her slightly now rounder hips and emphasized her growing breasts without being too flashy.

Rebekah ignored her protest that it had been too expensive. “Darling, we’re rich. The women in this century seem to enjoy dressing like prostitutes but the lady of Klaus Mikaelson needs to look better than that.”

“Whoa, I am nobody’s _lady_ ,” Hayley insisted.

“Oh of course,” Rebekah said. “And you two didn’t have sex the other day either.”

  Hayley’s face bloomed red hot. “What?” She choked. She thought the sound didn’t carry!

Rebekah laughed. “Oh relax, love. It’s just so obvious on your faces whenever you look at each other. It would be romantic if you two weren’t such numpties about it.”

Hayley snorted as she made her way upstairs. “Right. Not at all like yours and Marcel’s completely healthy relationship.”

“Marcel Gerard means nothing to me!” Rebekah insisted.

“Of course he doesn’t,” she said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. “That’s totally why you nearly killed him that night we found him with Cami when we went looking for Elijah. Not to mention my best friend which you _still_ haven’t apologized for by the way.”

“Oh do forgive me, I was busy getting thrown out a window.”

“Oh you remember that?” Hayley whirled on her. “Then do you remember where-”

Rebekah lifted her hand and shook her head. “That little brat Davina wiped my memory of the location but I definitely remember the fucking window.”

Hayley grimaced in sympathy.

“Nik is going to bring Sophie here and force her to do a locator spell and we’ll hopefully find Elijah that way.”

“Uh, about that. Witches…magic…Marcel is going to be pissed.”

“Oh no!” Rebekah gasped with mock fear. “Relax, Marcel knows she’s linked herself to you so if he does end up finding out what she’s done, he cares about you too much to do anything about it.”

“Yeah, that’s what I would have thought before he and Klaus started going after each other.”

“Well, the fair Camille wouldn’t let him hurt you then. Now, come, let’s start getting ready for the party!”

She had to admit she looked pretty good, Hayley thought, looking at herself in the mirror. Her dark hair fell about her shoulders in soft waves. She jumped a little when Klaus suddenly appeared behind her in the mirror, devastating in a dark suit. His eyes moved over her in the glass like a physical touch.

“You look beautiful,” he said, coming up behind her, his eyes remaining on hers in the mirror.

“You…um…you clean up pretty good yourself.” Hayley swallowed, hoping to keep her voice from coming out that breathy again.

“I have something for you,” he said, lifting up a small velvet box.

“You don’t have-”

“Please don’t say I shouldn’t have. It’s not as if I can’t afford it.”

“It’s not because of the money. It’s the fact that you’re holding me hostage,” she reminded him.

He pulled out the gorgeous necklace, studded with tiny rubies and laid it against her skin. “I’m keeping you safe, love. There’s a difference.”

She shivered at the feel of his fingers against her collar bone and she moved her hair to the side more to give herself something to do. Hayley wanted to tell him she couldn’t wear it, that it didn’t suit her, but she said neither. The truth was she’d never owned anything so beautiful. There were dozens of reasons it was a bad idea to take gifts from him but for now Hayley remained silent.

He hooked the clasp at the nape of her neck and let the necklace fall against her skin, his fingers stroking her pulse.

“Klaus…” she whispered in warning, desire pooling hot between her thighs. “Don’t…”

His hand stilled.

“It’s a bad idea for us to go down that road again,” she warned, trying to hang on to at least one of her brain cells that weren’t deserting her for a trip down south.

“You still hate me for what I said to you in the cemetery.” Regret broke through the cold mask threatening to fall over his face.

She shivered. “It hurt. I’m not going to pretend it didn’t but-”

“I was in shock. I was certain it was all some kind of plot and that you were obviously in on. I’m so-”

It was almost amusing watching him struggle to apologize and she had the feeling he didn’t do it often.

He coughed. “I…didn’t…mmm. You have to…” His face was beet red with the effort now and Hayley sighed. It would have been nice to hear the words but the man was clearly about to have a coronary so she touched his arm.

“Yeah. I get it. It’s not that. Well not _just_ that. Everything you’ve done so far, I mean, you cost me my job, a job I loved too.”

“I can’t have you out there risking your life anymore! You’re already in danger because of the witches-”

“Who you’ve now made a deal with so, bye bye danger, right?” Hayley pointed out. “But that’s not my point. All that and I still…” She exhaled, resisting the urge to step into his arms and lay her head against his chest. “I still feel…I want to forget everything you’ve done and just…” She shook her head. “I don’t know if what I feel here is actually genuine or if it’s just some magic thing conjured up by the whole bonding thing between us. Doesn’t that freak you out?”

He gave a small smile. “I don’t see it that way. What I feel for you is very…inconvenient. I don’t like questioning everything I do or feeling regret. Or having another person’s opinion matter to me at all but…you matter, Hayley.” He shrugged as if trying to lessen the importance of his words. “I could compel them to take you back, make them forget what I’ve told them.”

Hayley shook her head. “No. It’s ruined for me now. Not because of what you did, but…after everything I’ve done, how I’ve proved myself; that they would just throw me out because of what I am. I couldn’t work for them anymore.”

“If it makes you feel any better, McCready didn’t want to do it. But regretfully I made the announcement rather publicly. That idiot mayor was meeting with him.”

Hayley glared at him with a renewed burst of anger but managed to stifle it. “Yeah, McCready can’t shit without the mayor giving him hell for it…but that does help a little.” Hayley looked up to McCready and to know that her friend hadn’t wanted to fire her helped ease the sting a bit.

“I did it to keep you safe.”

“Your methods need some serious work, but, I get that. As chauvinistic and asinine as it is…you have to stop that, but I get it.”

He touched her face, cupping her cheek. “I will never stop trying to keep you and our baby safe. Nor will I ever apologize for it. I lost you for a thousand years. I will never allow that to happen again, no matter what I have to ensure that.”

She trembled at the intensity of his words. She closed her hand over his on her face and forced herself to step away from him. “You know what I want from you to ensure that. End this stupidity with Marcel. But you won’t.”

   He stiffened. “No. I won’t.”

She nodded sadly. “That’s why…you and I, we’re having this baby together, but that’s it. That’s all we’ll ever be because…well, like you said, a thousand years without you is one thing, coming to care about you again, love you, and then lose you again in addition to my friends who knows how? No, Klaus. No.”

He stepped away and nodded. The cold mask was back. “I’ll wait for you in the car.”

She couldn’t bear to have him shut himself off from her. Damn him. “Klaus!” Hayley called out as he walked towards the door. “I remember the first time,” she admitted, shivering a little at the pictures that filled her mind.

He stopped and turned to face her again, the cold mask gone, but wariness remaining.

She leaned against the chest of drawers and closed her eyes. “You were so kind that night. Gentle.” Her eyes burned and she momentarily cursed that she’d have to fix her eye make up again. “I know that man is still in there. Maybe I’m as dumb as Elijah, but I’ll never stop looking for him.”

He extended his arm to her. She took it.

They arrived at the party and heads turned warily in their direction but Marcel greeted them with feigned cheer. “Hayley babe!” He leaned in to hug her and whisper in her ear. “Good to see Klaus here removed the shackles long enough to allow you to come.”

“Uh yeah, speaking of hostages. How is Elijah doing?” Hayley countered.

Marcel clenched his jaw, not amused.

“And we’re gonna talk later about the whole you wiping my memory to forget where you’re holding him, buddy!” Hayley promised with a fake grin.

“And I’m not going to apologize, buddy!” Marcel said, kissing her cheek. He looked past her to Rebekah on Klaus’s other arm. “Rebekah, you look lovely as always.”

His eyes looked her over liked he wanted to have her for lunch…in the good way, Hayley amended mentally feeling a beat of sadness for her friend Cami…who had just walked in the door.

“Cami? This whole place is filled with vampires. Why would you invite her?” Hayley glared at Marcel.

“I didn’t,” he looked from Cami back to them and caught Rebekah’s smile.

Hayley stared at her and Rebekah schooled her features into mock innocence.

“I thought she’d want to come. I was just assuring her that there were no hard feelings now that she’s become your sweetheart,” Rebekah assured Marcel.

Marcel shook his head and then went to greet Camille.

Hayley turned and studied first Rebekah, then Klaus who both had the same feigned innocent expressions on their faces. “I don’t know what you two are up to, but I know you haven’t all of sudden  developed the warm and fuzzies for Cami so I’m warning you, Rebekah, and you too, Dimples, if she gets hurt, Marcel will be the least of you worries. Are we clear?” She stormed off to greet her friend. “Cami! Hey!” Hayley hugged her. “Are you sure it’s a good idea for you to be here? I mean…it’s kind of like being a hen in a fox hole and I wish that wasn’t such an accurate metaphor.”

“She’s right,” Marcel warned her.

“Rebekah invited me because she thought I’d be too scared to come. She thinks I don’t fit in your world. I came to prove to her that she can shove it,” Cami said to Marcel.

Hayley wasn’t sure that was the entirety of Rebekah’s reasoning but said nothing.

Marcel smiled at her. “That’s my girl. Let me get you a drink.”

Hayley rubbed her temples and fought a groan.

“You’re not coming down with something, are you?” Klaus asked coming up behind her.

“What am I doing in the middle of this ridiculousness?” Hayley asked, lifting her arms. “A few months ago I was just plain old Hayley Marshall, a cop whose biggest problem was keeping people from finding out I’m a vampire. Now, I’m a knocked-up vampire-wolf hybrid in the middle of a trifecta nightmare war between two vampire armies and a team of psycho witches. How the hell did this happen?”

Klaus touched her chin. “There was never anything plain about you, Hayley. Ever.”

She blushed but shook her head. “You know what I mean. How the hell did this become my life?”

“The eternal question. Some would say it’s a simple matter of fate. You and I were destined to find each other again.”

“I still haven’t decided if that’s romantic or terrifying,” Hayley remarked.

“Come dance with me,” he said, guiding her to the dance floor.

It was nice to just move along with him in silence for a while. Then she noticed Marcel up on the balcony above them arguing with one of his men…Thierry, Hayley recalled. It looked like it was about to get violent and she caught sight of Cami, looking up at them, worry and disappointment on her face. Hayley worried that Rebekah had a point about Cami. She was a human being, and shouldn’t have to be exposed to the ugliness of Marcel’s world. He tried to hide it from her as much as he could, but it seemed to be getting more difficult as the war between them all seemed to be heating up. Hayley didn’t know what Thierry had done but it looked bad.

“What’s that about?” she asked and Klaus followed her gaze.

“Rumour has it he killed another of Marcel’s men.”

“Why?”

“I don’t imagine the why of it matters much to Marcel. Thierry killed one of their own. He will have to pay for that.”

Hayley scowled. “Marcel is fairer than that.”

“You don’t repay betrayal with a hug and a kiss, love,” Klaus pointed out.

“What about forgiveness? If it wasn’t for forgiveness, you and I wouldn’t be here on this dance floor.”

He cleared his throat uncomfortably and forced a smile. “How is our littlest wolf doing? Does it move around yet?”

Hayley narrowed her eyes at him. “Nice dodge there, Dimples.”

“Thank you, I thought so.”

“And no. It’s too early for that. Though the fact that we can hear its heartbeat…I don’t think that’s supposed to happen.”

   “Our child will of course excel beyond all others,” Klaus insisted.

“I just want it to be happy,” Hayley said. If her baby never felt for one second, the despair Hayley had all her life; that was all she wanted for it, to know it was loved.

She looked over at Cami, who was looking up at Marcel as he argued with Thierry. “He should let this go, for her sake,” Hayley urged.

“She has nothing to do with this, Hayley,” Klaus said.

She grit her teeth. “Maybe that’s the problem. You two seem to think your actions don’t have any effect on those around you. Well guess what? They do. Excuse me.” Hayley stepped away from him and turned to walk towards the stairs that led to the upper floor.

“No, Hayley. Stop,” Klaus insisted reaching for her arm but she managed to avoid his grip.

She made it to the stairs before Klaus reached for her again.

“What is wrong with you?” Hayley demanded. “What do you care if I go talk to Marcel?”

“Leave it, Hayley.”

“There you go trying to tell me what to do. You remember how that went the last time, right?” She turned back to the stairs but Marcel and Thierry were gone.

“You know what’s going on up there, don’t you?” Cami asked Klaus.

“Wait, Thierry is Marcel’s right hand guy, isn’t he?” Hayley asked studying Klaus who stiffened. “So you don’t want me to intervene because…what, you want Thierry out of the way…why? Klaus, what did you do?” 


	24. Chapter Twenty-Four

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

**If You Do Not Own Your Own Identity Who Is Going To Identify You?**

 

A shiver of dread went through her when Klaus wouldn’t meet her gaze. “Where’s Rebekah disappeared to?” Hayley asked, suddenly noting his sister’s absence. “God damn it. I knew it. I knew you didn’t come to this party to make nice. There was some damn game in play all along, right? What is he going to do to Thierry, Klaus?”

“Love, I’m not any more accountable to you than you are to me, remember?” Klaus snapped. “This is none of your concern and you will stay out of it.”

“He wouldn’t hurt Thierry, would he? Marcel’s not like that. He’s known Thierry for decades! ” Cami insisted.

Hayley met her gaze and saw the unease there as the full force of the ugly side of Marcel’s world was beginning to dawn on Cami.

“Fine, if you’re not going to do something to stop him, I will,” Hayley threatened Klaus and stormed out towards the entrance to the house.

“Bloody hell,” Klaus snapped behind her as Hayley pushed out the doors and made her way out on to the street where Marcel and his men were dragging Thierry somewhere. They came to a sudden stop when a young woman appeared in front of them. Hayley recognized her as the witch who gave her the poison for the baby.

“Katie, no!” Thierry cried as the girl, Katie raised her hand and sent them all sprawling backwards.

Hayley luckily crashed backwards on to Klaus who caught her around the waist and set her back down on the sidewalk with Cami, away from the line of Katie’s attack.

Marcel struggled to his feet but Katie’s magic was stronger and Marcel crumpled back down to the ground. Katie towered over him, dagger in hand and Cami cried out behind Hayley as they could only watch in horror.

In a flash, Klaus was suddenly behind Katie and snapped the girl’s neck, killing her instantly.

The powerful force keeping them all down dissipated instantly and Thierry scrambled to get to Katie while Klaus helped Marcel to his feet, a look of gratitude on Marcel’s face. Hayley’s heart plummeted into her stomach and disgust mingled with disappointment as she suddenly understood what Klaus had done

Hayley watched Thierry cradle the dead Katie’s body, crying and knew he must have loved the poor girl. Cami ran past her to Marcel. She turned away unable to bear to see anymore.

She started to walk away but Klaus caught up to her quickly. “I want you to wait for Rebekah to return. She’ll take you home. I have to stay and help Marc-”

Hayley slapped him as hard as she could across the face. “Right, gotta make sure you’re in as Marcel’s right hand now that Thierry is out of the way. Get Marcel to trust you then stab him in the back and he won’t see it coming, right? That was the most obscene thing I’ve ever seen.”

His eyes flashed blue glittering fire. “Regardless of your opinion, you will take Camille, go back inside and wait for Rebekah. I’ll get someone to stay with you.”

“To make sure I don’t take off and get this poor baby away from its bastard of a father,” Hayley snorted.

Klaus grabbed her arm. “Don’t even joke about that. There is not one corner of this earth that I would not find you and you make you pay for taking my child.”

Hayley shook her head, her heart shattering at the coldness coming from him now. “So I guess this is the real Klaus, huh? All that back at your house was just to butter me up, right? To manipulate me just like you’re doing to Marcel, throw a few pretty words my way, get me in your bed. It was all an act.”

“I am doing what I have to in order to get my brother back-”

“Oh screw you!” she hissed. “This is a power grab and nothing more!”

“Well, whatever you think my motives are, the fact remains, Marcel has my brother. He certainly won’t be in any rush to return him if you’re whispering in his ear that I can’t be trusted, now will he?” Klaus reminded her.

Hayley stared at him, incredulous. “You want me to keep quiet until you get Elijah back? And of course you won’t take your sweet time doing that so you can take back your empire, right?”

“You will wait inside,” Klaus said coldly and snapped at his guy, a young man who looked no more than twenty to not let her or Cami out of their sight until Rebekah arrived.

“You will go to hell,” Hayley tossed back.

Klaus grabbed her and for a split second a charge moved through them both. Arousal. Hot and piercing.

_Damn it. NO!_

They jerked away from each other at the same time.  He said nothing further. Giving her a last glare before storming back to join Marcel.

Cami made her way over to her. “You okay?”

“Me?” Hayley asked with a humourless laugh. “You’re the one who had to watch Marcel deal with this ugly world he not only lives in, but runs.”

Cami looked as heart broken as Hayley felt. “Yeah. I guess I was deluding myself thinking that all he was doing was trying to keep the peace between the vampires and the witches. Christ I know you can’t drink but I need something stronger than champagne.”

“Let’s get out of here and go to your bar.”

“Uh, Klaus said you guys had to stay at the party,” the young guy warned nervously, looking behind him as if to make sure Klaus wasn’t going to kill him.

Hayley rolled her eyes. “How about this, Bieber, you come with us…though are you even old enough to drink?”

He stiffened and scowled. “I’m twenty one, and the name is Josh.”

“Great. Well, if you come with us, you’ll still be doing your job, so let’s go.”

“Crap,” Josh groaned but followed them down the street.

Hayley went up the counter and took a seat next to Camille, ordering a coke for herself and Camille order straight scotch, downing it in shot before asking for another. The goal was apparently to get shit faced, and Hayley couldn’t blame her. In fact, she regretted she couldn’t join Camille in her goal.

“What’s your pleasure, Biebs?” Hayley asked Josh.

“Can you not?” He urged her. “And I’ll have a Scotch too, thanks.”

Hayley raised an amused eyebrow. “Scotch on the rocks for my bodyguard-slash-jailer here. Lots of rocks.” She insisted to the bartender.

“Uh, neat,” Josh insisted.

“You’re adorable,” Hayley drawled. “Look at it this way, you can’t watch over us if you’re hammered. It’s a professional thing. Feel better?”

He groaned. “I did not sign up for this.”

“How did you get mixed up with Klaus anyway? You look much too fond of your soul to pledge your allegiance to that sleaze bucket.”

Josh cocked his head and then looked at her stomach in confusion. “Aren’t you having his kid?”

“A momentary lapse of judgement.”

“Yeah well ditto.” Josh said. Then his face flushed bright red even in the dim light. “Er, I mean, well, not exactly like you I mean, Klaus and I aren’t…like…noooo. He’s like…evil or…” His eyes widened fearfully perhaps thinking Hayley would relay the insult back to Klaus. “I don’t mean evil. I just mean-”

Hayley lifted her hand. “You’re good,” she assured him.

“So how did you end up working for him?” Camille asked. She looked into her empty glass. “This isn’t working fast enough for my liking. Hey, Clyde, bring me the bottle, would ya?”

“It’s not like he gave me much choice once he threatened to turn my insides into my outsides.”

“Ah, so threats and intimidation is how Klaus plans to grow his vampire army. I wonder if he puts that in the Want Ad,” Hayley asked. “Though if he’s recruiting children, I don’t think Marcel has anything to worry about.”

“Yo. Major shade!” Josh protested.

Hayley shook her head. “I’m sorry. No offense. You just seem too…normal to get mixed up in this mess.”

“Take it from someone who knows,” Camille said lifting her bottle.

Hayley touched her friend’s back sympathetically.

“It looks like Rebekah was right,” Camille said. “You know as soon as Klaus came back into town and he knew you and I were friends he compelled me to spy on Marcel”

 “He what?” Hayley asked though she immediately followed it with a grunt of irritation. “God how could I have been so stupid? Of course he didn’t just decide to let you come see me because I needed my friends around me. That guy never does anything without a fucking angle. Christ I really wish I could drink.”

“Weren’t you supposed to stay back at the party?” Rebekah demanded, walking up to them.

“Klaus is lucky I waited for you at all. I wouldn’t get picky about location if I were you.” Hayley said.

 “Are you drinking?” Rebekah asked, scowling down at the bottle on the bar. “What the hell kind of guard are you?” This she directed at Josh. “She’s pregnant, you tosser.”

Josh looked at Hayley incredulously. “I am seriously feeling so attacked right now.”

“Relax, the bottle is mine,” Camille assured her, picking it up and taking a long swig from it.

“Charming,” Rebekah sneered.

“Well, I’d say it was a pleasure but that would be a lie so now that you’re here Becky, I’m just going to go home,” Cami got to her feet and wavered a bit.

“Oh, no, we’re taking you home first. The last thing I need is to spend the entire night worrying that you’ve fallen face first into a ditch.” Hayley gave Rebekah a look that told her she would have no argument about it.

Rebekah exhaled in frustration. “Fine. But hurry up and let’s go.”

“Hay, you’re such an awesome friend,” Camille said, leaning her head on Hayley’s shoulder. “It doesn’t matter to me that you’re having an evil blood sucking asshole’s baby. Not one bit.”

Hayley gave her an amused sympathetic smile. “Looks like the scotch is kicking in, huh? Thank Cami. You’re a great friend too”

Hayley lay in bed wondering if Klaus had returned yet. She blinked back tears at her own stupidity. Of course Klaus wouldn’t have cared that she needed to see Cami. No, his motivation for letting her see her friend was to get info on Marcel. Everything came back to his plan. Nothing would ever come before that, not even her.  Hell, probably not even this baby they were having. What would happen once it was born? How would it fit in with Klaus’s plans? How would he use it to get what he wanted? If it stood in his way to gain more power, to win back the city from Marcel or anyone else who stood in his way, would he eliminate it? Her?

A shudder and well of protective rage rose up inside of her. Hayley’s hands went to her belly. Even as her soul rebelled against the idea and she knew it would probably destroy herself as well, Hayley knew she would kill Klaus with her bare hands if he tried to hurt her baby.

But how would she keep it safe?

She was here, under Klaus’s roof and if she was honest with herself, she knew she could leave, escape if she wanted even if she was sure Klaus would just find her and drag her back, because damn it, Hayley still wanted him. She was afraid to say she loved him but could find no better word for this all-consuming thing that went beyond lust, passion and caring. Whether it was real or not, a manifestation of the bonding spell, or a love freely given didn’t seem to matter.

 There had to be some way to protect herself and her child regardless of what she felt for Klaus.

_Little Wolf._

Hayley gave a little start as an idea came to her. The wolves. If she got them on her side, could they help protect her and her child if Klaus turned on them?

She listened to make sure the house was still silent and then slowly sat up. It would be easier to sneak out now. Her heart was in her throat the whole time as she made her way outside, gun tucked securely in her jacket just in case.

Her training as a cop made it easy to stay hidden through the city as she made her way into the bayou. She was good at staying under the radar, knew how to make her way undetected. It had made her a fantastic cop and damn it, she missed it.

The drive into the bayou was thankfully uneventful but she could only make it so far before she had to make the rest of her trek on foot. Gun close, she scanned the area, staying alert as she walked. Hayley wasn’t sure how she would present her case to the wolves, but hopefully being one of them, at least partially would give them the willingness to listen.

She listened carefully for any activity and heard the snap and pop of a fire before she saw the light and the giggle of a child. Following the sound she came upon a small gathering of people, two young children, boys, kicking a ball around a couple sitting together and two men across from them. One of them, a blond man with long hair who looked like he belonged in a motorcycle gang shot to his feet upon seeing her, instantly aiming a shot gun at her.

Hayley drew her gun automatically and then everyone was on their feet and the couple gathered the children behind them.

“Who the hell are you?” the blond man demanded.

“Whoa! Easy, okay?” Hayley urged. “I’m not here to do anything but talk.”

“Yeah, well, we ain’t the mood to chat so you just turn around back the way you came or I’ll be forced to be inhospitable and you wouldn’t like that, pretty thing.”

Hayley cocked an eyebrow. “I’ll turn around and leave right now if you can spell inhospitable.”

He cocked the gun and Hayley raised her gaze to the sky in frustration. “I just want to speak with whoever is in charge. My name is Hayley Marshall.” She cleared her throat and prepared to play the only card she had. “But one thousand years ago I was called by another name. Andrea Labonair.”

No one moved. To Hayley it sounded as if the entire world went silent. Not even the fire crackled though it still blazed between them.

Heads from the other cabins, windows from trailers popped out.

“Bullshit,” the blond man snapped. He tightened his grip on the gun.

“Gus, put your gun down,” a woman’s gravelly voice demanded and Hayley watched as an older woman came out of one of the cabins.

Her hair was white, and the lines in her face did nothing to diminish the vibrant strength and alertness she exuded as she made her way towards Hayley.

Hayley had to reluctantly admire how Gus kept the gun trained on her, protecting the old woman in case Hayley should dare try to harm her.

The old woman looked up at her. “Andrea Labonair?”

Hayley swallowed nervously, but nodded, hoping that the old woman wasn’t all of a sudden going to attack her if she hadn’t been a fan of the Labonair family.

“Come inside for coffee, hmm?” The old woman offered, motioning Hayley towards her house.

“Mary, you’re not gonna just buy that some chick off the street is not just one of the Labonairs but _the_ Labonair from the stories,” Gus insisted.

Mary looked at him. “I don’t need to _buy_ anything Gus. I know how to use the brain God gave me. Now unless you figure me for an idiot I suggest you let me and Ms Hayley Marshall have us a little conversation alone.”

As she passed him, Hayley couldn’t resist. “You wouldn’t want Mary to be considered inhospitable now would you?”

Mary led her into a small kitchen and urged her to have a seat as she poured them tea out of a pretty tea pot decorated with painted violets.

“The story of the Labonair family has been passed down for centuries and it’s rather become like a myth at this point. The killing of the alpha family, the disappearance of the lone surviving Labonair, a girl who was supposed to have been bonded to the alpha family’s son they supposedly never had before they were murdered.”

Hayley bit her lip. She was supposed to have been bonded to the alpha? Um…

“Why do you go by Hayley Marshall?” The old woman asked.

Hayley looked into her cup. “I didn’t know I was Andrea until recently. I didn’t remember anything about that life. I still don’t remember much. Someone compelled me to forget.”

“Wolves are not immortal,” Mary said simply, watching her.

The old woman hadn’t allowed Gus to shoot her so Hayley had took that to believe she was willing to listen to Hayley’s story. There must have been something about Hayley that made Mary not discount her offhand.

Moment of truth. “I didn’t know I was a wolf. My wolf side has been…um…repressed, I guess would be the word. A thousand years ago, I was turned into a vampire. Against my will.”

She wasn’t sure why it was important to emphasize that but Hayley felt a renewed burst of anger and struggled to control.

Mary reached across the table and took her hand. “You poor thing. So you’re a…hybrid then. The legend forgot to mention that part. Only that you would be found again and unite our people and lead us as was intended.”

“So you believe me?” Hayley asked, feeling her stomach heave at the words ‘uniting’ and ‘leading’ anything. She was here for protection, not to be a leader. Klaus was the power hungry megalomaniac, not her.

“I haven’t decided yet. What do you remember of being Andrea?”

Hayley shrugged. “Not much. I remember being a child with crappy parents. Being friends with the Mikaelsons. I…was engaged to Klaus…er…Niklaus Mikaelson then when I got older but his father threatened to kill me so he left to protect me. I went after him but Mikael found me first and turned me.”

Mary was quiet for a while and Hayley tried to read her but the woman had an impressive poker face. “And how is your relationship with the Mikaelsons now?”

Hayley wasn’t sure how best to answer that. To lie would be risky because she would undoubtedly be found out when news reached the bayou that she was pregnant with Klaus’s child…if it hadn’t already and this was a test. To bullshit would only bite her in the ass either way.

“Well considering I’m having Klaus’s baby I think I’d tick the ‘It’s complicated’ option on Facebook for that that one.”

Mary’s face paled. “You’re having his child?”

“Kind of,” she replied weakly.

“Oh dear,” Mary remarked. “How is that even possible if he’s a…ah, that’s right, he is a hybrid as well.” She looked at her seriously. “Hayley, why are you here?”

Hayley cleared her throat. “Because I’m afraid for my child.”

“Do you think Klaus would harm it?”

The instinctive ‘no’ rose up in her but Hayley held it back. She couldn’t let her emotions cloud her judgement if she was to keep her child safe. “I think the only thing he cares about is this war with Marcel. I don’t want my child trapped in the middle of that, risk it becoming collateral damage.”

“So you come here for…sanctuary?”

Hayley lifted her chin. “I’m here because you all are a part of my family. You’re the other half of what I am as much as the vampires and I’m ready to reclaim that part of myself, that part that was Andrea Labonair.”

“Hmm…you are asking me to put the pack at risk, to bring the tornado that is Klaus Mikaelson down on their heads for the sake of woman they know of only though myths and legends. I need to know where your loyalties lie, Hayley.”

Hayley took a deep shaky breath. “I’m here.”

“With Klaus Mikaelson’s child inside of you. Unless you’re telling me he forced himself on you, a woman doesn’t have a child with a man she hates. So the question is, do you love him, Hayley?”  


	25. Chapter Twenty-Five

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

**Only Those Who Love Can Be Betrayed**

She couldn’t lie and Mary must have seen the truth on her face because she looked at her sympathetically. “It doesn’t matter what I feel. What matters is that my child doesn’t grow up in a war zone. I refuse to let that happen so if the time comes, will you help me?”

Mary leaned back in her seat and took a sip of her tea. “First, I’ll have to convince the pack that you are who you say you are.”

Hayley felt a small beat of hope. “So that means you believe me?”

Mary set her tea cup down and got up out of her seat. “Wait here.” She disappeared down the hall and returned a minute later with a scroll wrapped in gold ribbon.

She pulled the ribbon and straightened the paper, sliding it over to Hayley.

It was a drawing of Hayley with the words ‘Beloved Little Wolf’ along the bottom and the initials N. M. Hayley was smiling and there was such a sweetness and innocence to her expression that it was almost like looking at another person, but undeniably her.

_“Can I move yet?”_

_“No,”_

_“My bottom is falling asleep.”_

_“I promise to soothe it later, Little Wolf.”_

The memory made her eyes burn because she could see the sweet love on Klaus’s face as he teased her. Where was that man? Hayley blinked the tears back and cleared her throat.

“Where did you find that?”

“It’s been passed down by my ancestors for centuries. We’ve had people lead us, other alphas and their mates, but we knew the true alpha and his mate eluded us. My ancestors were tasked with keeping alive the legend, the hope that the promise made between the original alpha of our line and the Labonair family would some day be made right. This was found in a castle in England by a maid who sold it to an art dealer. The art dealer then sold it to a wealthy man who happened to be a wolf who had learned the identity of the woman in the picture. You.”

Hayley shivered. “So how did you get it?”

“The man was my grandfather…with a whole bunch of ‘greats’ tossed in there,” Mary added with a wry smile. “So yes, I believe you are who you say you are. My influence only goes so far. They have to believe it.” She motioned her head outside.

“I was compelled to forget everything after I was turned. I get little bits and pieces coming back but…” Hayley would have to ask Rebekah to remove the compulsion. She’d seen Elijah do it to Klaus right when he’d been daggered so she hoped it could be done. She didn’t know if she was ready to handle opening that door. Knowing the horror that gripped her when Rebekah told her about her baby dying, Hayley had been afraid to ask for the rest and Rebekah had seen that fear and so hadn’t pushed.

Now she would have to make herself ready, for the sake of the baby inside of her. A hand went to her belly. What if the shock of it hurt the baby? Hayley squeezed her eyes shut. No, she would be brave. She would fight past her fear to bring Andrea Labonair back.

“The compulsion. It was done as a kindness. I know how to get it removed now and I will.”

“You do that, and prove to them that you’re Andrea Labonair, and they’ll fight for you.”

“Even Gus?” Hayley asked with snort.

Mary grinned. “He might be a tougher nut to crack, but I keep a hammer handy. Don’t worry.”

Hayley bid her goodnight and was on her way back towards her car when a shiver of dread went through her and the back of her neck tingled with the certainty that she was being followed. She gripped her gun tightly. “Who ever you are, I’ve had a pretty shitty day so either show yourself or get lost before I start getting pissed.” She saw some movement and fired her gun, but in the next instant there was a knife against her throat and another against her belly. Cold fear mixed with hot rage and Hayley froze.

“I suggest you put the gun down before I eenie meenie minnie moe over whether I slit your throat or skewer that spawn you have brewing in your stomach,” a male voice breathed in her ear.

Not Gus, Hayley decided immediately. She dropped the gun and he let her turn to face him, removing the blade from her neck but keeping the one on her belly. She could disarm the blade at her neck easily enough thanks to her training but the danger to her baby kept her still. She would not take that chance.

He had dark hair and dark eyes. “That’s right, Andrea. It’s me.”

“Sorry I got nothing,” Hayley said, shaking her head.

He laughed an ugly humourless sound. “Ah you don’t remember me? I’m crushed. We were to be married, sweet thing. It’s me. Langon.”

Hayley stared at him. _Married?_ What the… “Is that supposed to mean anything to me?”

He gripped her hair painfully and she tried not to cry out, a momentary beat of relief that he’d use the hand that was previously at her throat. “Don’t play games with me. I heard the other wolves talking, that you were calling yourself Andrea Labonair. I admit the last time I saw you, you were little more than a child but looking at you now, I see that little brat my parents took in. And how did you repay them? You let Klaus Mikaelson murder them!”

Hayley’s eyes widened and she struggled against him. “Look, I’m not sure what you expect from me but I don’t remember anything you’re talking about. That sucks about your parents but I can’t help you-”

Langon smiled. “Oh but you can, sweet Andrea. You can help me make Niklaus Mikaelson pay. Now let’s move.”

A myriad of ways to make _that_ happen moved through Hayley’s mind as he tried to force her into his car. She took that brief moment where he lifted his blade from her belly to use both his arms to push her into the car to glance quickly down and hook her foot around one of his legs and send him crashing backwards. Hayley whirled around and instantly grabbed her gun from her purse and pointed it at him.

“All right, psycho. The keys,” she snapped, her blood racing. He glared up at her and then smirked a second before something came down on her head and everything went black.

 _Shit! Shit! Shit!_ was the first thing through Hayley’s mind as she came to with her hands bound laying on some hard surface, probably the floor. The second was _OW!_ thanks to a monstrous headache.

She kept her eyes closed and listened. She’d been stupid not to think of the possibility that he’d not been alone, but all her focus had been on protecting the baby. His helper’s name was Dwayne. The window was open, she could feel the breeze wafting through and she could hear the birds. It smelled musty as if the place hadn’t been used in a while. She tried to orientate her hearing to figure out which direction the door was in.

Hands gripped her by the arms and pulled her into a sitting position. “Wake up,” (what was his name again….Langford?) said.

She felt strangely calm for herself. She figured Klaus would manage to find her if only to kill her himself for escaping the house. Her panic was for her child. She opened her eyes and studied the man in front of her. There was no way in hell she’d ever agree to marry him. No matter how gone her memory was.

“Listen, Langley,” Hayley began.

“Langon!” He snapped, making her jump.

“Right. Sorry. Look. I’m sorry about what happened to your parents and you totally deserve your revenge but you’re wasting your time with me. Klaus doesn’t give a damn about me.” It hurt to say the words.

“Probably not, but he does care about that thing you’re carrying,” he sneered.

Hayley’s temper got the best of her at the way he spoke of her baby and even with the tight cable ties around her wrists, she struck him in the face.

He jerked back and she felt a moment’s satisfaction at the blood on his lip. It made something suddenly occur to her and a shudder of horror went through her. “Wait, you said you knew me as a child? Were you…Are you a vampire? Is that how you know Klaus?”

He stared at her, studying her intently. “Are you serious? You actually don’t remember any of it?”

She shook her head. “Not you. None of anything to do with you or your parents so, look, just let me go because not only is Klaus gonna kill you, but Marcel is a friend of mine as are the other members of the original family so you’re seriously fucking up here if you don’t let me go!”

“Do you really think I’m afraid to die?” He asked. “After your parents died the same night as the alpha family, my parents took you in.”

“So…you were a wolf?” Hayley said slowly as understanding began to dawn.

“I was. Then your baby daddy killed my parents and I did what I had to to make him pay.”

“You…made yourself a vampire? A hybrid to hunt him through the centuries? You did that to yourself? Willingly?” Hayley felt a little nauseous.

“Oh and it was well worth the wait. Dwayne? Are you ready?”

Hayley stiffened. “Wait. What? Ready for what? What the hell is THAT?”

Langon came towards her with a syringe.

“No! Don’t!” She cried, scrambling against the wall, trying to kick at him.

Dwayne held her arms down as Langon shoved the syringe into her belly.

Enraged and panicked overrode the pain. Hayley fought against them both, but they only let her go once her blood was drawn into the needle.

“What the hell? I’m going to fucking kill you if you hurt my baby, I swear to God!”

Langon turned Dwayne and stuck him in the neck with the needle and then Hayley watched in horror as he broke Dwayne’s neck.

“Oh no!” Hayley closing her eyes and shaking her head, wishing she was anywhere else but trapped in this nightmare. “What was THAT?” she screamed at Langon.

“Relax, he’ll be just fine. He actually volunteered.”

“For you to kill him?”

“He died with your blood in his system. The blood you share with your little hybrid baby in there.”

“So? What does that have-” She gasped in horrific understanding. “You’re trying to make him into a hybrid? That’s impossible.”

“What? You think Klaus didn’t know?” He laughed at her. “Of course he knew! You don’t actually believe he’s decided to start playing daddy all of a sudden, did you? With your baby’s blood he can make himself an army of hybrids that will overtake this town in a week and he will be unstoppable! I just plan to beat him to the punch.”

“No,” Hayley whispered, her heartbreak so gripping it stole her breath. “He wouldn’t do that to… _no.”_ Of course he would, her brain mocked her. Klaus would do anything for power. When would she learn that? It took her superhuman effort not to break down and weep, torn between sadness and rage. All of it. A lie. His tenderness towards her. His sudden change of heart about the baby. _Apologizing for his cruelty while he’d been inside of her!_

She felt encouraged by the fact that her baby’s heartbeat still throbbed beneath her skin. Quick, as it was no doubt panicked and confused, but still strong. Hayley held on to that. Her stupid fucking broken heart could go to hell. The important thing was her baby was still okay.

And then Langon pulled out the knife.

Hayley’s eyes widened. “What are you gonna do with that?”

“Right now, we wait for your baby’s blood to do its work for Dwayne. If it will.”

She tried to look away from the knife. She was too far away to make a grab for it but maybe if she could bring him closer. “How did Klaus kill your parents?”

His eyes grew cold. “The Mikaelson filth infiltrated our village when I was eight years old. It turned out the father of your child was the biggest abomination of all, not only was he a vampire, but he was a wolf as well. Turns out Esther had been a whore along with being a witch. He polluted our village with his very existence. The Mikaelsons massacred the alpha family of our pack, and killed your parents too by the way.”

 Hayley startled. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. _No. Please no._ She couldn’t bear this. The way Elijah had been so nice to her, how she thought of Rebekah as a friend…No, she struggled to deny Langon’s words. He had to be saying this stuff to make her hate them as much as he did. His rage had to be colouring his view of what had happened.

Hayley struggled to hang on to that small stupid voice that denied his words and then...

“Then on the final night, when we fought back, the night my parents died, he…that son of a bitch bonded himself to a fucking child, you, so that no one could touch them because we all knew you had been specially chosen to bond with the alpha only they never had a son before they died so in swooped Klaus and no one in the village would move against him for your sake. So they let him go. He killed my parents and they just let him go!” Langon screamed in her face.

Hayley felt the blood drain from her face. _Even that?_ The one pure thing she thought she and Klaus had between them, the primal, fundamental bond that had lasted one thousand years and led them back to each other had been nothing more than another manipulation? The world blurred around her as Hayley struggled to focus and not give in to the agony in her heart. That magical, otherworldly thing that happened whenever she and Klaus had sex…just a convenient plan. She thought she had maybe found the beginnings of an actual family, that maybe this baby would bring all the Mikaelsons together and she could be a part of that, damaged as they all were. It had all been a lie. Klaus hadn’t wanted her. She wasn’t a part of his family. She was a means to an end. Nothing more and then she would be tossed away like she had been all her life. Rejected yet again.

She curled into herself, protecting her baby, the only thing in her life that was truly good.

“So I waited until I grew older, stronger and then I became what he was, a vampire so I could hunt him and make him pay. And I will. He will beg for mercy and I will give none.”

They both jumped then as Dwayne came back to life like a wild thing, an animal, all trace of humanity gone as he stumbled around the room.

“All right, now he has to feed on you,” Langon said.

Hayley jerked back a ball of ice dropping into her stomach. “I’m sorry, he has to what now?”

Before she could even blink, Langon leaned forward and cut a slash into the side of her neck and Hayley was so stunned the pain didn’t even register until Dwayne latched on to her. She screamed then as fiery pain burst through her and the pull of his mouth on her neck made her want to throw up. She fought. She kicked. She tried to scratch and bite at him until Langon finally pulled him off of her and then Dwayne turned on him and leapt at him, sending both of them crashing through the door onto the porch.

Hayley spotted the knife left on the floor and nearly wept with relief as she stretched to grab it and cut through her bindings as fast as she could. She knew she had seconds before Langon came back. She scrambled out the window and took off running in the opposite direction of the cabin, knife clutched tight in her hand. She’d prefer her gun, but the blade would have to do. She ran until her lungs burned and her legs ached and it was either stop or collapse. She stopped behind a try to give herself a desperate moment to rest.

A low animal growl froze her blood and when she opened her eyes, she gasped. A wolf stood in front of her, eyes on hers, steady. The longer she looked into its eyes, the less fear she felt. It moved closer to her and she felt more curious than panic. It nuzzled her hand and Hayley smiled.

“Hayley!” Langon’s voice carried through the forest and her terror returned.

The wolf turned in the direction of the voice and the growl it let out now was definitely one meant to inspire terror. It gave her one last look and then bolted in the direction of the voice. She didn’t envy Langon if the wolf caught up with it, but she took her chance and ran.

She stopped once more, praying she’d find a road soon. Hayley heard a snap of a branch behind her and held her breath, praying it was the wolf and not Langon. Just in case, Hayley lifted the blade and whirled out from behind the tree with a cry.

And came face to face with Elijah Mikaelson.


	26. Chapter Twenty-Six

**Chapter Twenty Six**

**A Life Lived Without Forgiveness Is A Prison**

Her cry turned into a shriek of delight as she threw her arms around him. “Elijah! God, am I ever glad to see you. You would not believe the crap day I’ve had. How did you get free? Did Marcel let you go? Oh please tell me Marcel let you go. I need one damn piece of good news today. Does Klaus know you’re free? Oh…shit…does he know I’ve escaped the house?”

He smiled and cupped her cheek. “Let’s just get you home.”

It was going back to the house that brought back the memory of everything Langon had told her. If he’d been telling the truth Elijah, Rebekah, they had both known of Klaus killing her parents, had perhaps even been part of it. She had forgotten that in her relief over seeing him again.

“Wait. Elijah, there’s something you need to know about the guy that kidnapped me, about the baby and what Klaus is really planning.” As she explained everything that Langon had told her about Klaus wanting to make a hybrid army, Elijah informed her that Klaus was aware that Langon had grabbed her and was going after him as they spoke.

Had Klaus been the wolf she saw? She’d never seen him in wolf form. The weak part of her hoped it had been him but she said nothing of it to Elijah.

As they headed back to the cabin where Langon had held her, they both stopped when they saw Klaus on the porch next to the now dead Dwayne.

“Ah, if it isn’t the wayward mother of my child. Honestly, love, the way you keep slipping through my fingers I’m about to get a complex. I didn’t find you, but I did find this.” He kicked over Dwayne’s body.

“Talk about my baby again and I swear there is not a corner of-” Hayley threatened, making to attack him but Elijah halted her with a hand on the arm.

A flash of something moved through Klaus’s eyes before he grinned. “Ah isn’t this nice, you two have been reunited. I do hope the reunion was everything you hoped for, brother. She is exquisite, isn’t she? You know, she especially likes it if you pin her down just as she’s about to-”

“You disgusting pig,” Hayley snapped, her face flaming, willing his words not to stab her heart like they were. “Langon told me what you were planning. Dwayne, there, he was a test. He volunteered to be injected with my baby’s blood to see if it would turn him into a hybrid and surprise, surprise. It worked. But of course you already knew it would, didn’t you?” The rage burned through her so of course it was her imagination that a beat of surprise crossed his face before he snorted.

“And of course you believed him, this stranger you’ve known for five minutes.”

“Right, turns out not so much of a stranger. He told me who he was. How his parents took me in after you killed mine and then killed his parents as well. How I was supposed to be bonded to him and not you.”

“He what?” Elijah asked, next to her but Hayley ignored him, needing to purge her anger because it felt so good to have a focus for it after all her terrified hours.

 “My God, how could you? How could you look me in the eye and…” Hayley shook her head, tears filling her eyes. “I was just a child and you used me, forcing me to bond with you just to keep the villagers from killing you so you all could make your escape.”

“That’s not what-” Elijah protested but Klaus screamed at him and pointed in warning.

“NO! Brother, you will be SILENT!” Klaus shook his head. “Of course. I must have been hatching some evil plot to use our child, yeah? I mean why else would I give a damn about my own child, isn’t that right?”

“You do remember what the first thing you said to me was when you found out I was pregnant, right?” Hayley shot back.

Klaus laughed humourlessly. “No doubt you wish it had been the noble Elijah who fathered your child, don’t you? I mean, next to him how can I help but be found wanting, how can I be anything but what I am. A liar. A manipulator. A bastard.” The last he directed at Elijah. He stepped off the porch and came closer. “That’s all I am to you, isn’t it? And Rebekah, and no doubt you’ll make it so my own child will see me the same way as well.”

Why was he acting as if he was the injured party, Hayley wanted to scream. She was the one who had been used, held hostage, had her child made into some sick science exper…

_Oh God._

She had been wrong. That look on his face had been surprise at the mention of using the baby’s blood. “Klaus-” she opened her mouth to apologize but he gripped her arms.

“No. We’ve said all we need to say… _Little Wolf.”_ This time the endearment had a note of bitterness to it. He shoved her away from him as if she disgusted him and stormed off.

Rebekah greeted them with relief. “Thank God!” She hugged Hayley so tight it was almost painful. It didn’t make any sense. If these people were just using her…but they weren’t, were they?

Klaus was right. She had so easily believed Langon over them, letting her fear cloud her judgement. If he’d lied about that, what else had he lied about?

She watched Rebekah hold her brother, watched the obvious affection between them.

“Where’s Klaus?” Hayley asked.

Rebekah’s smile dimmed. “He’s upstairs in his studio. I’d leave him to himself for a bit. He’s a bit like a volcano waiting to erupt.”

“Yeah, that’s kind of my fault. I want you to lift the compulsion. I know you can’t do anything about the years afterwards and maybe those are lost to me forever but…I’m ready.”

Rebekah looked instinctively down at her belly. “I thought you wanted to wait until after the baby was born.”

“I did but after today…I said something pretty lousy to Klaus because I let that asshole Langon use my lack of memory against me.”

“What happened to him?” Rebekah asked.

“Thanks to you, Niklaus daggered him and he is now spending eternity in the swamp,” Elijah explained kissing her cheek.

“Elijah told me how you gave up the daggers to Klaus so he and Elijah could find me. I can’t believe you would do that,” Hayley said, feeling dumber by the second. How could she have ever believe that asshole Langon?

“Of course, I would. I’ve always adored you. You’re family…and besides, I needed to make up for the whole Camille thing as you reminded me,” Rebekah said, cupping her cheeks and then hugging her.

“Clean slate,” Hayley assured her. “So…where are we doing this?”

They sat her down in the living room. “Should we get Nik down here?” Rebekah asked.

Hayley wanted to say yes but shrugged. “He’s probably still pissed so I doubt he gives a damn at this point.”

Rebekah urged her to lie on the couch.

“Isn’t that for shrinks?” Hayley joked.

Rebekah rolled her eyes. “I just want you to be comfortable.”

Hayley exhaled nervously and lay down, resting her hands on her belly. She willed her child to relax and tried to take her own advice.

“Okay. Close your eyes,” Rebekah said and placed her hands on Hayley’s temples. “See it all. You will remember it all. Now.”

The memories came in an instant. There wasn’t a rush of images like a movie scrolling by in her head but just an instant _knowing._ Of a life lived that settled in the blank space of her mind like a puzzle piece being dropped in perfectly. But the power of it, the memory of that life with its joys and terrors proved to be too much and Hayley began to sob and tremble. She curled onto her side and sobbed as she remembered loving Klaus. She thought what she’d felt for him had been love, but now, having the veil lifted to feel the full power of it, Hayley cried as it overwhelmed her with the enormity of the emotion was finally revealed to her. She saw now those sad eyes looking up at her and knew now that he was saying goodbye _because he loved her._ Those sad eyes that had followed her for a thousand years saying everything he could not say because a monster had been standing in front of him threatening her life. He’d laughed more in that past they shared. They’d been happy. So happy. She remembered adoring him as a child, seeing him as her white knight saving her from parents who were cruel. It had been _she_ who had begged him to bond with her to save her from a life with Langon whose parents had killed the alpha family and her own. He had resisted, wanting better for her when she’d known in her soul there was no better man than Klaus Mikaelson, the other half of her soul who became the man she loved when they reunited a few years later.

She felt hands in her hair and smelled the scent of his soap mixed with his own male scent and she buried herself in that smell, desperate for comfort as she remembered Mikael finding her.

“Shh, Little Wolf…it’s all right….You’re safe now…” his voice was in her ear, soft and soothing.

The loss of their child. She remembered the agony, the madness that gripped her like a fog now sharp as a blade. Rebekah holding her, spiriting her away to another life with a last gift. Oblivion.

“I’m here,” Klaus whispered stroking her hair. “I’m here…”

Hayley opened her eyes and gave a little start when she realized she hadn’t imagined it and Klaus actually was now sitting on the couch holding her as she cried. She turned towards him and cried harder. Not caring about war, or his anger or violence or plots. Nothing mattered but that he was here, holding her as she cried.

His eyes were red and glistening as well. They all had tears in their eyes. Hayley sniffled and grimaced as a dull throb set up in her head, a remnant of her sobbing. Nor could she breathe very well though her stuffed nose. Klaus helped her sit up.

“Are you all right?” Rebekah asked, handing her a Kleenex.

Hayley nodded and blew her nose. She took a mental note that her baby’s heart was racing but otherwise, seemed all right.

“Good,” Klaus said curtly then got up off the couch and left them. She was left dazed by his coldness after he had been so kind.

Rebekah cleared her throat uncomfortably. “Well, I’ll go make you some tea.”

“No, that’s okay. I…Excuse me.” Hayley got up and went upstairs to find Klaus.

She wasn’t surprised to find him in front of a canvas, running angry blue slashes through it with his paint brush. “You know, that seems like it would be good therapy if it actually worked.”

“I only killed one person today. Believe me. It works.”

Hayley nodded. “I…owe you an apology.”

“For which of your many sins?” He asked, still not turning around to face her.

“God damn it. Can you look at me? I mean, how can you be so…kind one minute and such an ass the next?”

“Is that your idea of an apology because as usual it appears we’re getting our signals crossed.”

Hayley closed her eyes. “I’m sorry for what I said about the night of the bonding ritual. I know now it was me who begged you to do it…why didn’t you let Elijah correct me?”

“Well why wouldn’t you believe I am the sort of vile creature who would manipulate a child to say nothing of using my own child to start a hybrid army. That is how you see me.”

“That’s how you want me to see you!” Hayley burst in frustration. She stormed towards him. “You’re cruel and your snarky and you keep hurting anyone who cares for you and then when we believe the worst of you, you act like you knew it all along.” She grabbed his arm and turned him to face her. “I saw you. I saw how you were with me. How much we loved each other. Why can’t we be like that again? Why can’t you be that man again?”

He towered over her. “That man is dead. That man died the night before our wedding.”

Hayley shook her head. “No. He didn’t I saw him just now, downstairs. Despite how I hurt you, you came down and you held me and comforted me as I cried.” Tears filled her eyes and spilled over down he cheeks. “Just as you did when I was a frightened little girl.”

She touched his face and his eyes widened in slight panic like he wanted to back away but he stood still. “I see him there now. In your eyes. In your fear of letting him show.” She cupped his face and brought his mouth down to hers. Hayley kissed him slowly. It felt different. She didn’t think it could possibly feel more powerful to kiss him, but now with the remembered history between them, Hayley felt full to bursting with the love inside of her. It scared her too. She wasn’t used to feeling this much for another person. She’d spent a thousand years running from it, but for just a moment, to show him she was sorry, that he didn’t have to hide from her, Hayley gave herself up to the feeling.

She teased his tongue with her own, sliding her teeth along the fullness of his. He held himself rigid even as his lips moved with hers. Hayley pulled back and smiled. “Don’t move.” She went to his door and locked it. Hayley made her way back to him, holding his gaze. She kissed him again while at the same time undoing his belt.

His eyes opened. “Hayley you don’t have to-”

“Shh,” Hayley whispered. “And you call me Hayley so that I know you see me and want me, not her. That’s kind.”

“You’d probably shoot me if I didn’t,” Klaus remarked, his voice rough as Hayley got down on her knees.

He was full and aching when she finally freed his cock and grasped it in her hand.

“I remember the kind man who showed me how to please him. Who was patient with me as I took him in my mouth and did it all wrong.”

His hand moved instinctively into her hair but to his credit, didn’t push. Hayley smiled. Slowly, she closed her mouth around just the head, licking, sucking gently before taking more.

“You…ah…you were a quick learner,” Klaus growled.

The taste of him filled her senses with memories of the hours of hot, damp pleasure they had wrung from each other again and again. God, she wanted that back. More than anything she wanted that back. She hoped she could tear down her own walls too so that someday they could. It was a little easier now that she remembered the good person that Andrea Labonair had been. A little naïve maybe, but she’d been so good and Hayley felt a little bit less of a monster now that Andrea Labonair was a part of who she had been. Andrea Labonair would be a good mother to their baby if Hayley could let her shine through.

The sounds Klaus was making were so familiar to her even though they hadn’t ever done this, not as she was now. Hayley. Yet she knew exactly how to stroke him with her fingers, tightening alternately in time with her mouth, how to cup and squeeze him and how he sounded and felt when he was about to come.

“Christ…Love…Stop…I’m going to…Hayley…,” he warned.

She pulled away just long enough to tell him to go ahead. His eyes glowed amber and his fangs descended just as she took him back in her mouth and caught his release. He reached back and gripped the edge of his canvas snapping it in his power as his orgasm overtook him.

He reached for her to continue or perhaps repay her in kind but Hayley shook her head and started to clean up, cleaning him up as well. “We don’t have time. Elijah and Rebekah are probably wondering if we killed each other.”

“To the devil with Elijah and Rebekah. Come here,” Klaus insisted.

“No, really. This was for you. My way of making up for being such a raging bitch. It’s okay.” She kissed his cheek. “Maybe a raincheck for tonight?” She pointed to the broken canvas. “I think you’ll be busy with that.”

Camille came by and told her about a music festival happening that night.

“We’ll go together. Come by later and-” Hayley began but Klaus quickly cut her off from his side of the room by the bookcases.

“No. Sorry Camille but we won’t be able to join you.”

“Oh don’t worry, I didn’t invite you.” Cami tossed back. “I invited Hayley.”

Klaus smiled at her. “Hayley will not be attending the festival.”

Hayley turned from her seat on the couch and glared at him. “You do see I’m sitting right here, don’t you?”

He sighed in frustration. “You do realize that every time you leave this house someone tries to kill you.”

“That’s ridiculous. I’m not staying cooped up in this house for the next six months. I’ll end up as crazy as you are. Besides, I’m not asking for your permission, Klaus.”

“Marcel asked me to watch over Davina for him because she wants to go.”

“Oh did he?” Klaus asked, moving away from the bookcases and closer to them.

“There we are,” Hayley groaned knowing that now Klaus would be totally on board with attending the festival if it meant he could grab the little witch.

“Yeah, I haven’t decided if I’m going to do it yet. I’m really hoping for a stress free, read: supernatural free, night to just enjoy the music. Babysitting a hormonal teenage witch? Not my idea of fun.”

“What about a hormonal pregnant hybrid?” Klaus offered, making Hayley raise an eyebrow at him.

“Oh look who’s suddenly on board with my going,” Hayley said rolling her eyes. “Could you not be so predictable?”

Klaus grinned at her but then focused on Camille. “I suppose I could let Hayley attend if you were to agree to Marcel’s request.”

“Let me…oh so much chauvinism I can’t even…” Hayley snapped. “You know I could just sneak out of the house.”

“Why even ask me?” Camille countered. “We both know you could compel me to do it.”

“I promised Hayley I wouldn’t anymore so I’m being a gentleman and asking instead.”

The soda Hayley had been drinking went down the wrong pipe as she choked on a laugh, causing a coughing fit.

“Blackmailing is not a gentlemanly trait,” Cami pointed out as she rubbed Hayley’s back.

“It’s not blackmail, love. It’s bribery,” Klaus corrected with a sweet innocent smile.


	27. Chapter Twenty-Seven

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

**The Mistake Was Mine For Trusting You**

Hayley caught Cami up on everything she had remembered since Rebekah had removed the compulsion as they walked among the other partiers.

Cami wrapped an arm around her and squeezed tight. “God, I don’t even know what to say. Everything you’ve been through… I feel really weird agreeing with Rebekah about anything but it looks like she really was doing you a favor wiping all that from you memory.”

“I go back and forth between being grateful she did and hating her for doing it.”

“All this compulsion business…” Cami shook her head. “Almost makes you wish you were a full on vampire so they couldn’t do it.”

“Yeah, almost but not quite. I think I actually like learning about the werewolf side of myself. I’m going to visit Mary again tomorrow.”

“Are you sure you should? I mean, after what happened with that Langon guy?”

Hayley raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you’re agreeing with Klaus.”

Camille shuddered. “God no. If that ever happens shoot me. I’m just being the worried BFF.”

“Langon isn’t a threat anymore and no way Mary would see me if I brought Klaus with me.”

“But he’s one of them too, isn’t he?”

Hayley sighed. “Technically yeah, but they don’t accept him anymore than he accepts them. It sucks because I think the wolves could really be good for Klaus if he could win their loyalty.”

“Isn’t that what you’re doing?” Cami asked as they dodged a group of drunk frat boys. “Ah tourists.”

“No. I’m not doing this for Klaus. I’m doing this for me and my baby. Just in case we ever need some where to run.”

“From Klaus?” Cami asked. “Things seemed…better between you two back there. Aren’t they?”

Hayley bit her lip. “Uh…ish,” she conceded. “He’s still determined to drag out this power grab with Marcel…which brings me to my question, how are things with you and Marcel? After the party I wasn’t sure how you two would deal.”

“He sentenced poor Thierry to something like a hundred years in the garden which I’m sure is not as pleasant as it sounds.”

“It’s not,” Hayley shuddered.

“Even knowing why Thierry did it. Marcel is playing the same song Klaus does. Thierry betrayed him, Thierry must pay.”

“Yeah well Klaus did teach him everything he knows,” Hayley offered sadly.

“I wish I could forget that but…Marcel and I are trying but I don’t know how much longer I can pretend I’m okay with what he’s doing.”

“That bad?” Hayley asked.

Cami took a deep breath and Hayley could see she was fighting back tears.

Hayley wrapped an arm around her shoulder and drew her close. “Marcel is an idiot.”

“Damn it. If I didn’t have to babysit this witch of Marcel’s I would totally want to get plastered tonight.”

“Maybe after her bed time,” Hayley offered. They crossed the street to the church and Hayley stopped when she realized they were being followed. “Bieber! Sorry! I mean, Josh!” she corrected quickly.

The young dark haired man sighed and quickened his steps towards them. “That’s gonna stick isn’t it?”

“What are you doing here? Did Klaus send you to tail us because we refused to let him come?” Hayley asked, annoyed.

“What do you think?” Josh asked. “Damn, and I was trying to be all stealth too.”

“Yeah, that needs work,” Cami remarked pushing open the church doors. “Hey this could work out. You could keep Davina company. She’s about your age.”

“And gorgeous,” Hayley said with teasing grin. “You’ll like her.”

“Oh…um. Great,” Josh said, nervously clearing his throat as he followed them inside.

They spotted Father Kieran up at the altar.

“Hey Uncle Andrew. You’re not going to the festival? Is it too much lasciviousness for you?” Cami teased, kissing his cheek.

“Someday I shall tell you about my two months in Berlin,” Father Kieran teased but then he scowled. “No. Not quite in a party mood.”

“Uh oh,” Cami said. “What did the bishop do now?”

“Nope, not the bishop. Your friend Marcel. He was supposed to get Davina out of New Orleans to protect her against the witches and yet she’s still here. He seems more interested in using that girl for her powers than actually protecting her.”

“I’m sure Marcel has his reasons for keep Davina here and is doing everything he can to protect her,” Cami insisted, though it sounded to Hayley like she was trying to convince herself.

“We’re actually here to take her out for the music festival. It’ll do her some good to get out for a bit,” Hayley said. “Cami and I and Bieb…Josh here will look out for her,” Hayley corrected quickly, biting her lip to force back a smile when Josh glared at her.

 “Father,” Josh nodded politely.

“Marcel okayed this?” The priest asked Cami.

She nodded and he let them pass and led them towards the attack.

The atmosphere was strained between Cami and Marcel but Hayley could sense that their feelings for each other were most definitely still there and it made her heart hurt for her friend.

Davina was so excited to be getting out of the attic.  Marcel would be joining them for a little while and assured them he had people spread all over the Quarter to make sure Davina and the rest of them stayed safe.

Hayley was glad to see that Davina and Josh got along instantly. It’d be cute to watch them experience young love because her own love life was such a hot mess.

“Now you know the rules, right?” Marcel insisted as they walked along the street musicians.

“I won’t talk to anyone about witches or vampires or anything. I swear. Now, please. You promised you wouldn’t hover,” Davina pleaded as her face lit up at all the exciting music and lights and atmosphere.

“I’m not hovering. I’m just enjoying the night.”

“You’re hovering,” Hayley and Cami said at the same time. “Seriously. We go this,” Hayley promised.

They made their way into one of the bars where a band including and a violin player where going full force. 

Cami ordered a drink for herself and Josh but Marcel refused to let Davina have any alcohol.

“Oh my God, seriously!” Davina protested.

“You still have some turning twenty-one to do,” Marcel pointed.

“That’s okay, Davina, you can stay with me over on the dry side,” Hayley said.

“This is New Orleans, no one pays attention to the drinking age,” Davina insisted. She sighed when it looked like Marcel wouldn’t change his mind. “Fine. I’ll just sit here with the knocked up hybrid.”

Marcel nodded. “I think I see the mayor. I’m gonna have a little chat with him about his police department and catch up with you guys later,” he said touching Hayley’s shoulder.

“Wait, what? Marcel, no! Leave it alone. Marcel!” she hissed after him but he ignored her.

“Who’s the cute fiddler?” Cami asked and Hayley turned to see that Davina’s attention was now focused on the young violinist on stage.

The young girl blushed furiously.

Hmm, so maybe Josh was out of luck. Poor guy.

“Tim,” Davina replied. “I knew him when I was younger, from school and I never got to say goodbye before I left. I was hoping he’d be here cause he always performs at these kinds of things.”

Josh snorted. “Timmy the fiddler.”

Hayley raised any eyebrow. Was he jealous?

“Oh come on. I’m Bieber but a guy named Tim who plays the fiddle and you’ve got nothing?” Josh asked belligerently.

“Sorry,” Hayley said sharing an amused look with Cami.   

 “If you want to talk to him we can make sure to distract Marcel,” Cami offered as the song ended and people exploded in applause.

The crowd gathered around the musicians and when they cleared Tim seemed to have managed to disappear.

Davina’s face fell. “Never mind. This was stupid.”

“No, it wasn’t. We’ll see if we can find him.”

“Yeah, I’ll go ask one of the band guys if they know where he was headed,” Hayley said. “Come on, Bieber,” She pulled Josh off his stool.

“What? How did I get elected shotgun in this little teen drama?” Josh scowled.

“Klaus hired you to tail me, right?” Hayley reminded him. “That means you go where I go.”

She got one of the guitarist’s attention and tried to speak over the large crowd, stopping when she could have sworn she saw Klaus passing out the door. “Wait, was that…”

“What?” Josh asked. “I didn’t see anything.” He insisted in a pathetic attempt at a lie.

“Wow, you are so bad at this,” Hayley marvelled. She headed back to Cami who had convinced Davina not to leave. “Come on. I don’t think he’s left yet cause Gordie the guitarist said he saw him just a second ago packing up his fiddle and heading to his car. We can probably still catch him. I could have sworn I just saw Klaus.”

“Officer Marshall,” the mayor called out to her.

Hayley stiffened, anger welling up inside of her at the idea of having to deal with the ass who cost her the best job she ever had…or remembered having anyway. “Not Officer Marshall anymore. Remember?” she snapped. “Just plain old filthy bloodsucker Hayley. Excuse me.”

“Aww. Don’t be so testy. That was just business, you understand? Personally, I’ve always been quite fond of you.” He moved closer and she caught a full whiff of bourbon on his breath as he gripped her arm, giving it a suggestive squeeze.

_Oh you have GOT to be kidding me._

Hayley jerked her arm out of his grip. “Right. Have a good night, Mayor Lancel.”

He touched her arm again. “It’s only that, well, you know, the police department has a certain reputation to uphold and to have a vampire on staff. Well it just won’t do, my dear but that doesn’t mean that you and I can’t still be friends. If anything, the fact that you don’t work for my city means we can be very good friends indeed, hmm? I always thought you were the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen” He reached to stroke her face and Hayley jerked her head back, fighting down the urge to throw up.

She spotted Josh who had gotten distracted by a conversation with one of Marcel’s men…oh what was his name…Diego?

Josh turned and looked at her in question. Without giving her a chance to let on if she needed his help or not he was next to her in an instant and Hayley had to admit she may have misjudged the boy. “You okay?”

“Of course she is. We were getting along just fine. Run along, little boy. Now, sweetie, where were we? Ah yes,” the mayor threw an arm around her and Hayley stiffened, wondering if she could get away with castrating him in the midst of a crowd. “Why don’t we go somewhere a bit more private and we can discuss if perhaps I can arrange a different kind of position for you, something outside of public service… of a more private nature?”

“If you don’t take your hand off me right now I will take the gun I still have in my purse and shoot you in a place you clearly have other plans for. Got it?” Hayley threatened through clenched teeth.

 The mayor’s face grew flushed now with anger rather than alcohol and he glared at her. “I wouldn’t be so high and mighty if I were you! I can destroy you in this city. I will make-”

Josh clenched his jaw and leaned closer to her, whispering in her ear. “That compulsion thing, you know how to do it?”

Hayley blinked. “Um, I think so. Why?”

Josh motioned toward the mayor. “Let’s get him out into the alley.”

Hayley forced a smile and touched the mayor’s chest, trying not to shudder in disgust. “You know, Mayor Lancel. Maybe I have been a little too hasty. Why don’t we go somewhere a little more private and I can make it up to you, hmm?”

The older man smiled. “Ah yes, that’s more like it. See? Isn’t it so much more pleasant being nice to each other?”

Hayley grinned and guided him outside, Josh close behind them. “Oh yes. So so nice.”

“Let me just get my car and-”

Josh hauled off and punched him hard across the face, letting out a cry as the mayor went down like a deflated balloon. “OW!” He gripped his hand in surprise. “I didn’t think that would hurt. In the movies it’s always so cool! Damn!”

“Yeah, the thing about movies, not real,” she reminded him.

The mayor shook his head and groaned as he came to.

“Do your thing,” Josh motioned.

Hayley leaned down and cupped the older man’s face as he hovered between consciousness and oblivion. “You’re going to wake up in that dumpster over there and decide you had such a good time at the festival tonight that you now want to resign as mayor of New Orleans and take up banjo playing on a Mississippi river boat.”

Josh burst out laughing next to her. “You are officially awesome.”

Hayley grinned as she helped him toss the mayor into the dumpster. “Thanks, Bieber.”

This time, Josh didn’t complain about the nickname.

The day after the festival Sophie sent a friend of hers, Agnes to the Mikaelson house to visit Hayley.

Klaus didn’t trust the witch but Elijah assured both Agnes that his brother wouldn’t harm her as long she was there to help Hayley and assured Klaus that Sophie had vouched for Agnes.

“That’s all well and good, brother, but it’s rather difficult to protect Hayley from the witches when you keep letting them in the bloody door!” Klaus snapped.

“Well there shouldn’t be any more threat now that you’ve made a deal with the witches, right?” Hayley said linking an arm with Klaus and heading towards the living room. “Cami had a point. She can bring me all the prenatal vitamins her friend will let her pilfer from the hospital but I need actual care and I can’t risk going to a regular hospital.”

“Ah yes, Cami,” Klaus glowered. “You need less trusting friends. Those not so eager to risk your life in their belief that the world is full of do-gooders.”

“Well, that’s why I have you,” Hayley pointed out. “You make up for all that do-good-ing with your paranoia.” Elijah chuckled behind them. “Now you stay out here. You may have made an alliance with the witches but they still don’t like you. Rebekah is in there with Agnes. She’ll do.”

Klaus grumbled but let her go in without him though Hayley knew full well that he, if not Elijah as well were both outside the door.

“Hello,” Hayley said greeting Agnes.

Agnes leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “How are you feeling, Hayley?”

“Honestly, I feel fine. Really. Baby’s a-okay.”

“That’s good. There’s a woman in the bayou, a friend who will keep your secret. She has experience with this sort of a situation and has helped many young special mothers. I took the liberty of making an appointment for you tonight. I can drive you there.”

“What? Now? I hardly think this needs to be a rush job. The baby’s okay. I’m sure tomorrow during the day will be a more reasonable-”

“You know, some of us would give anything for the gift of motherhood. Seems to me you should be a lot more considerate of that gift,” Rebekah said sadly.

Hayley looked at her curiously and then felt guilty. Of course. As a vampire, Rebekah would never have a child of her own. So odd that the idea of a baby had only until recently terrified her and yet it was something so many women, even human ones were denied. “All right. Sure. Just let me grab my purse.”

Klaus wanted to come with them but Hayley insisted he stay. “They don’t like you, remember? I’ll have enough to freak me out about this whole thing without having to protect your pretty face,” Hayley teased, lightly tapping his cheek. The doorbell rang and Hayley was relieved it was Josh.

“Besides you’ll be busy with your minion. I’ll be back soon. Hey, Bieber.”

Josh rolled his eyes but didn’t protest and Hayley was amused that the nickname was growing on him.

Agnes drove her out to the bayou and they stopped outside a small cabin. “You go on in. I’ll wait out here to give you some privacy and drive you back.”

The doctor was a lovely blonde, a few years older than Hayley herself. She had a kind face and took it easy with the freezing gel as she did the ultra sound. The mechanical sound of her baby’s heart beat was so different than the soothing noise Hayley heard and felt normally but both sounded strong and healthy and the doctor assured her that it was.

“Of course it is. It’s a fighter like its mom,” Hayley insisted, please.

The doctor smiled at her. “So word in the bayou is that you’re calling yourself Andrea Labonair.”

Hayley sat up and cleaned herself. “Hmm. So we’re done here, right?”

The doctor nodded slowly and got an odd look on her face that sent a prick of warning through Hayley’s chest.

“You know, your blood pressure is a little high. Let me get you something for that. Wait here,” she left the room and Hayley shook her head, sure she had just imagined the odd look.

Hayley’s heard a wolf howl in the distance and then her phone dinged with a text message from Rebekah. “Witch Sabine here. Sophie betrayed us, working with Agnes. Get out now!”

Hayley’s heart fell, panicked into her stomach. She whirled around and spotted Agnes talking with the doctor. They both smiled and the doctor came towards Hayley, a bottle of pills in her hand.

“Oh, you know, I’m not really great with pills,” Hayley said backing away.

“Yeah. I know what you mean. I wish they made these smaller but-”

Hayley watched a few intimidating looking dudes come into the corridor behind the doctor and didn’t think. She shoved the woman back into the hall and slammed the door shut, locking it behind her. She rushed towards the window and struggled to open it and squeeze herself through as the banging on the door intensified.  

“God damn it, Klaus. Could you not _always_ be right?” Hayley muttered under her breath as she escaped out the window. “Just fucking once!”


	28. Chapter Twenty-Eight

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

**Passion And Desire Are Divine Fire**

Hayley ran. First with no direction in mind besides away from the cabin. She briefly thought of doubling back and grabbing that bitch Agnes’s car but that would sent her smack back into the fire as they’d no doubt have the area surrounded…those who weren’t chasing her anyway. She could hear them, feel them in the panic churning through her. 

Then she turned towards the wolves compound. Mary would help her. Hayley tried to push back the guilt that she’d be bringing a load of witches and who knew what else down on the wolves with her but Hayley’s only thought was to protect her baby. For that, she’d make a deal with the devil himself.

Once again, it occurred to her that she and Klaus were alike in a lot of ways.

_It’s time to fight, Little Wolf._

“All right, assholes. You wanna play? Let’s play.” She dug into her purse and felt for the reassuring cold metal of her gun. Pulling it out, with trained precision, Hayley leveled it at one of her pursuers. A tall, guy with dark hair and dark eyes, which now looked wide with surprise as Hayley blew a hole into his chest, sending him flailing backwards. Sometimes, her life as trying to pass for a human came in damned handy.

She fired at the next one and sensed the one behind her without turning, she elbowed him in the face and when he went down, she fired into his head, watching the satisfying burst of flesh and bone, a frightening blood lust filling her but Hayley gave herself over to it for her baby’s sake and God help her, it felt good. As each went down, she didn’t hesitate, breaking their necks to ensure they stayed dead.

In the next instant, the breath was knocked out of her body as someone tackled her to the ground. Struggled to shoot into his face, keeping a death grip on her gun but swore when nothing happened. She was out of bullets. Shit. Hayley gripped the handle tighter and smashed it into the guy’s temple and he went down on top of her like a sack of potatoes…as heavy as one too. Another one grabbed her by her hair and pulled her out from under the first man. Hayley let out a cry of rage more than pain and spun around, catching him with her leg and bringing him down. She climbed on top of him, jammed the barrel of the gun into his eye. God, damn it, how many more were there? Hayley looked around, she counted at least six. Her body felt like a sizzling live wire of rage. It made her vision sharper, her surroundings clear. Sweat made her clothes stick to her body. She caught a fallen tree branch and jammed it into another guy, catching him hard in the chest. One man caught her but she reached back and efficiently snapped his neck, making both of them fall. Another man tackled her and pinned her, damn, she’d lost her grip on her gun. Well, when all else failed… Hayley lifted her head and bit his neck. The metallic tang of his blood filled her mouth as he screamed. It felt good to dole out some more pain at these who would threaten her and her child and a pleasant numbness filled Hayley as she drank. When she had her fill, she threw him off of her. She got to her feet and smiled at the next idiot who tried to have a go at her. Before he could, a wolf came leaping through the darkness and flattened the guy. She wasn’t sure but in the darkness it looked like the same wolf that she had encountered when on the run from Langon.

“Thanks buddy,” Hayley said as she fought against two other assailants and the wolf disposed of four. The battle was starting to take its toll though and Hayley worried she wouldn’t be able to go much longer. The wolf had shown up at the perfect time. She didn’t know how long it had gone on. Minutes or hours but finally, no more of them came at her and Hayley fell on the ground, panting and exhausted. The wolf came over and licked at her face, her wounds. It gripped her by her t-shirt and dragged her as she seemed to have lost all strength in her muscles. The crash after the adrenaline, Hayley remembered. Cami had mentioned it to her once. They stopped at a truck and the wolf barked. Hayley looked up. She didn’t recognize the truck. She struggled to her feet and looked down at the wolf. It barked again. She pulled at the door handle. It gave and the door opened. _Oh what’s a little grand theft auto, right?_ She blinked when she spotted the keys sitting on the leather seat. Hayley looked back at the wolf. “Yours?” The word felt thick in her mouth and she closed her eyes, struggling through her exhaustion. She only hoped she lasted long enough to drive back home. The drive was interminable, feeling like an eternity and Hayley nearly swerved into a ditch at least twice, struggling to stay awake, praying she didn’t hit anyone.

She spotted the mansion and floored it, feeling a last burst of adrenaline help her make her way up the drive. Hayley spotted Klaus and Rebekah. Both were instantly rushing towards her as Hayley scrambled out of the truck on watery legs. Klaus reached her first. “Are you all right?” He cupped her face, his eyes wild with panic.

“I…I..fleelll…” Her mouth wouldn’t work properly and Hayley swayed on her feet.

“That bitch Agnes did some kind of cloaking spell so we couldn’t find you. Sabine has been here for the past two hours trying to break it,” Rebekah said.

“They…attack… wolf.” The world swam and Hayley blinked trying to stay awake.

“You seem to have healed quickly,” Rebekah said. “Klaus’s blood in your system. His blood can heal just about anything. You own baby is healing you.”

“Oh…good,” Hayley muttered and fell forward into Klaus’s arms. The last thing she remembered hearing as Klaus gathered her up was his soft soothing voice.

“I’ve got you, love. I’ve got you.” With a sigh, Hayley let the darkness claim her knowing that finally, she was safe. She came awake briefly when she felt the warm water. Klaus was behind her, holding her in the tub and helping clean off the blood. She was too tired to protest being naked with him and it was a bit redundant considering the many times he already had. It felt too good to be in his arms so Hayley didn’t even bother opening her eyes as he bathed her, gently, tenderly with care for any scratches or bruises.

 _I love him. God, I love him,_ this man he hid from the world.

She woke up in the darkness with Klaus curled around her. “You’re not going to say I told you so, are you? Cause that would be really cliché and artists are supposed to be original…er…pun intended.”

His arms tightened around her. “It gives me no satisfaction to gloat when your life is at stake.”

“So the witches aren’t towing the party line. The truce is over? What are you gonna do?”

“The only thing that can be done when you’re faced with rebellion. You squash it. Sabine and most of the witches want to honour the truce. Those who don’t will be dealt with.”

“What about Sophie? She’s still linked to me so you can’t touch her.”

“Sabine will unlink you. Don’t worry. How are you feeling?”

“Tired but better.”

“And the baby? I can still hear it but do you know if it was harmed at all?” There was the hint of barely leashed rage. She closed his hand over hers on her belly. It was getting a bit more swollen and that made her happy. It was growing. It was healthy.

“It’s okay,” she assured him.

“Sleep some more, love.” He kissed the crown of her head and Hayley felt the urge to drift again.

She blinked and tried to make out the room. “Am I in my bedroom or yours?”

He hesitated. “Yours,” he said and waited as if expecting her to tell him to go back to his own room.

“Klaus?” Hayley whispered.

“Yes?”

She squeezed his hand. “Don’t leave, okay? Just stay here while I sleep, okay?”

“Okay,” he agreed with a soft exhale of breath that she knew he’d never admit was relief.

She came awake a little while later with dawn filtering in through the window, giving the room a grainy sort of dream like quality.

Energy pulsed through her body again…a certain kind of energy echoed in the hard press of Klaus against her bottom. Instantly her body responded. Growing damp and open. _Okay then._ She shifted. Was he sleeping? A groan and a slide of his hand up along her belly to her breast. Hayley moved her hips so that she rocked a little against him. Klaus cupped her breast and squeezed gently as he took a deep breath behind her. She sighed and moved her head on the pillow as he nuzzled her neck, his growth of morning stubble rasping against her soft skin sending an all over shiver through her.

“Tired?” he asked, his voice rough.

“No,” she whispered. Hayley took his hand and boldly lowered it between her thighs.

His groan was a deep rumble she could feel against her back. His fingers parted her wet flesh and Hayley whimpered and let out a soft sigh.

He stroked her slowly as if rousing her from the darkness of sleep and dreams into wakefulness. He focused alternately on the swollen nub of nerves at her core and her opening, easing his finger inside in slow, shallow thrusts.

Hayley took a deep breath and shivered, wanting more, but enjoying his ministrations too much to want him to stop. Her hand tightened around the edge of her pillow and Hayley bit her lip as the tension coiled in her belly, pooling low. His mouth was at her shoulder, kissing, nibbling lightly as his fingers followed the rocking of her hips, moving gradually faster so that Hayley’s whimpers grew, her release close.

“Come for me, Little Wolf,” Klaus whispered in her ear and Hayley came apart with a blissful sigh.

Her breath came in quick pants as her body trembled in an all over shiver that only kindled the urge for more.  “Klaus…” she sighed, turning towards him. He closed his mouth over hers and Hayley moaned in pleasure.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, digging her fingers into the strong muscles of his shoulders. He’d carried her on these shoulders, Hayley remembered. When she’d been a child, in the moments where she was too scared to go home so Klaus let her stay with him and he would take her to his secret cave and read to her and teach her how to fish and fight. He’d carried her on these shoulders even though they were weighed down by the cruelty of his own life. For her, he smiled, and laughed and told jokes so that in his presence she would never be sad.

This man who had been tortured by life and so responded with cruelty of his own had been kind once and gentle and Hayley saw little glimpses of him. “I love you,” she admitted wrapping her legs around him. She watched the panic flit across his eyes and felt him shudder in her arms.

“Don’t,” he insisted.

She snorted and kissed him. “You know how well it works when you tell me not to do something, right?” Funny. She didn’t feel stupid or panicked saying the words to him now. She simply felt what she did and it was a little easier to say it now. Hayley liked to think she was tough, but Andrea Labonair turned out to be a lot braver than Hayley was and now that she accepted that part of herself, she found it a little easier to let that wall come down a bit.

“I can’t…do that,” Klaus insisted, looking ashamed. “Hush now,” he insisted.

She gasped when he thrust into her in one smooth move, briefly distracting her from everything but the delicious stretching full friction. “Oh God,” Hayley moaned, arching beneath him and tightening around him. She cupped his face and lifted her hips eagerly to take in more. “Yes, you can,” she assured him. “And you do.” She didn’t know where the certainty came from, maybe their bond, but Hayley knew he loved her. It didn’t fix anything really and she knew it would never be an easy thing, this love between them. They were probably both too screwed up beyond measure for that but there was a fundamental comfort in the knowledge that he loved her and she loved him.

He scowled down at her and grabbed her wrists, pinning them up above her head. “You stubborn creature,” he growled, thrusting hard.

She smiled at him in challenge. “Damn right.”

Klaus’s fingers tightened around her wrists and he kissed her thoroughly as he thrust faster, harder and so deep it was almost painful but Hayley took it all eagerly, the heat between them filling the room.

“God, yes,” she sighed. “More…More…”

His face was flushed and his blue eyes gleamed with passion as he snapped his hips in a quick relentless rhythm determined to make her shatter.

She did. With a cry of his name Hayley bowed up beneath him. Trembling, she lifted her mouth to his ear and bit his earlobe gently. “Again…Don’t stop.”

He grinned at her. “Like that, then?” Klaus let go of her wrists and reached to grab her hips and lift her slightly off the bed.

At this angle, the driving friction hit her clitoris more directly and Hayley gripped his wrists, digging her nails amid the fair hair on his arms. “Yes…Oh God…Oh my God.”

He fucked her through her a second orgasm and still he didn’t stop, hard as ever inside of her. She wondered if it was because…

“I love you,” she murmured again and though his face warned her to stop, his cock grew thicker insider of her, the air throbbing around them damp with the energy of their bond and sex. “I love you…I love you…I love you…” His chest was slick with sweat and Hayley dug her nails into the damp flesh, sliding her fingers over the damp muscled beauty of his body.

He leaned down and kissed her. “Come for me again, love. Squeeze me tight and scream for me.” Klaus pumped deep, urging her on, past the limits of her endurance and still Hayley held on because it was so good. His driving, beautiful body pushed her harder and harder and Hayley loved it.

“Yes…Oh God…Klaus…”

“Mmmm, yes. Scream my name. Scream it.”

His name burst from her mouth like a cry of triumph as she found her next release and felt him come a second behind her in hot thick bursts inside of her. He called her Hayley when he came. _God, how she loved him._

He narrowly missed falling on top of her as they fell back on the mattress. They were sticky, damp and panting but Hayley was too boneless to move and she could tell Klaus was too so they just lay together for a long time, his harsh breath in her hair as she curled up, facing him. The throbbing in the air gradually dissipated. Would it happen every time, forever, she wondered. There was a strange sort of comfort in that too.

“Does it feel different?” She suddenly asked, the thought occurring to her that the last time he had made love to her she hadn’t fully known herself as Andrea Labonair. Now that she did… 

He was silent for a while and she figured he was still trying to catch his breath. Little pops if nerves were still going off beneath her skin.

“It…yes. It’s different.”

His tone caught her attention. It was…careful.

She looked at him curiously, going up onto one elbow.

He looked at her, then quickly away, clearing his throat. “I don’t mean…I’m not sure how…to say this in a way that you won’t want to shoot me.”

“Gun’s all the way across the room in my purse,” she pointed out, waiting.

“You’ve…had other lovers.” There was an edge to his voice.

Hayley blinked at Klaus in surprise. “What?”

“You’re different. Now, please, not…I don’t mean in any sort of a bad way….Bloody hell I’m mucking this up.” He squeezed his eyes shut in frustration. “I was your first and of course it was wonderful…IS! IS wonderful, bloody hell! You’re just…I can tell that you’ve had other lovers between me and…er…now.”

“The fuck…How?” She found herself caught between offense, embarrassment and curiosity.

His face retained its red flush even as the rest of his body was returning to its regular pre-orgasmic colouring. “You’re the one that asked, love,” he pointed out.

“Go on,” she urged.

He looked at her cautiously and then licked his lips. “It’s not anything…er…physical. It’s just in the way you are…”

“Clear as mud,” Hayley pointed out.

He exhaled in irritation. “It’s a knowledge there in your eyes. A knowing when I touch you. At first I thought it was just because you didn’t remember who you were but now that you do…I imagine it’s because of the bonding. A mate would know when someone else had…er…touched their mate.”

Hayley pulled back and considered that. “Oh. Well…I don’t remember any one else. Just you.” The instant she said it she regretted it because Klaus got this smug, happy look on his face even as the hint of anger was still there in his eyes.

“Is that right?”

“Relax, Casanova. I don’t remember anything from that time… but…it bothers, you doesn’t it?” She asked, studying him.

Klaus looked away.

She cupped his chin and forced him to look at her. “It’s been a thousand years. I doubt you were an untouched spring flower during that whole time, Dimples,” Hayley pointed out, even as her own rage stirred just thinking about it so maybe she could understand his reaction.

“That’s different-” He cut himself off instantly knowing how she would take his comment.

“Oh you did not just…Because you’re a man? Really? A thousand years and like…no evolution at all? Come on, Klaus!” Hayley snapped, slapping his arm.

“It’s not chauvinism. You quite simply belong to me. Blame it on the bonding ritual or what have you, but I cannot help but react to the knowledge that someone else has touched you.”

“Oh, so I can get all pissy that you’ve probably screwed your way through the renaissance, the jazz age and disco?” She clenched her teeth and realized that it did bother her. A lot.

“I think I would rather enjoy it if you did,” he said haughtily. “Especially the jazz age. Good heaven those women were something. All those flappers throwing off the Victorian era prudishness. Delicious. Disco, not as appealing. Besides that atrocity that passed for music at that time, most of the women were either stoned out of their minds or burning their bras.”

“The History Of The World according to Klaus Mikaelson,” Hayley marvelled, rolling her eyes.

Klaus chuckled and gripped her hips and pulled her on top of him. “So, have I inspired you to murderous rage with tales of my exploits yet?” 

  “Oh I don’t know. I mean, thinking about it, it does seem only fair, right? If I’ve apparently had all these lovers than it should be okay that you did. Equality and all that.”

“Really?” He asked, his eyes glittering blue fire in angry warning.

Hayley shimmied down so that she rested against his cock, coming back to life between her legs. “No. Not really. You’re mine, Dimples. You’re my mate and if you touch another woman, I’ll kill you,” she vowed.

Klaus rose up and slid his fingers into her hair. “Good.” He closed his mouth over hers and pulled her back down with him against the pillows.


	29. Chapter Twenty-Nine

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

**Love Takes Off The Masks We Fear We Cannot Live Without**

They made love a second time. Was it stupid of her to call it love? She’d said it in the heat of passion but that didn’t mean she hadn’t meant it. He hadn’t said it back and she hadn’t really expected him to because…well…it was Klaus.

Their bodies pushed to their limits and yet unwilling to stop touching, pleasuring each other, by the end of it, they simply moved gently together, saying nothing when they found their orgasms with soft, all over shudders rather than mind numbing explosions.

His eyes were closed as he pulled her down, tucking her head beneath his chin. The sweetness of it was addicting and Hayley warned herself not to get caught up in it but Andrea just sighed and stayed put, revelling in the feel of his breath in her hair and his sweat dampened skin against hers.

“You said it was different. Do you wish I was more like her? Andrea? The way I was when I was her?” She couldn’t help poking at it, like a painful tooth.

Klaus sighed. “I don’t remember saying different in a bad way or to imply you were lacking in anyway, love. I think it’s quite clear what you still do to me.”

Hayley snorted at that. “You’re a guy, Klaus. Any naked woman could walk in here and you’d be turned on by her. That’s not what I mean.”

“Not true…or…well…not what I mean by what you do to me but let’s answer your question specifically, hmm. Yes. I do wish you were more like when you were Andrea-”

She stiffened and moved to get off of him but he anticipated it and his grip tightened around her. “Let me explain. Who you are now, Hayley Marshall, was not by your choice. Mikael did that to you and I swear by our unborn child that someday I will make him pay for that. As difficult as your childhood was, you had an innocence about you, you smiled more, you laughed and you thought I hung the moon which is most certainly a delusion you no longer suffer,” he snorted.

Hayley shrugged in concession. No. She might love him, but she most definitely did not see him as perfect.

“Do you remember that I wanted to turn you before we married?”

She nodded. It was one of the only times they’d ever fought then.

“You told me you couldn’t bear it. That you had no desire for immortality at the cost of having to drink blood or perhaps kill for it. It just wasn’t in your make up to do such a thing. It felt like you saw me as a monster rather than your beloved.”

“I didn’t!” she insisted fervently.

“My point is Mikael turned you into something you hated. So when you ask me, do I wish you were more like Andrea Labonair as you had been? Yes. Because I would never wish the choice to have been taken away from you as it was. It made you harder. This life has damaged us both. Maybe if you’d never been so violated, you’d be happier, lighter. That was all I ever wanted for you. Your happiness. Yet, I’m selfish enough to be glad you’re here. That is the hateful part of my nature, I suppose. I despise Mikael for what he did and won’t ever rest until I find a way to make him pay, yet I’m obscenely grateful to him at the same time for being the master of your fate because it led you back to me.”

She was quiet as she pondered his words. It was as honest as he had ever been with her and she could practically feel his unease with admitting such a thing to her, worried that she would hate him for saying it.  “When I was in the bayou…something happened to me. When those bastards attacked me and I was fighting back. It was like…this rage overtook me, this…need to kill them. It felt good. All my life I have hated what I was. It was that part of me that was Andrea that was horrified at what I was and I just didn’t remember how much I had never wanted to be this. Yet last night…taking their lives, feeling their blood on my hands, in my mouth, it…it felt so good. You said we were alike and I guess you were right.”

Klaus ran a hand down along her back. “Fighting back when you’re attacked always feels good and the capacity for violence exists in everyone no matter how good. Do you think that changes who you are?”

“Doesn’t it?” Hayley asked with a small shudder. “You said so yourself, Andrea was good and innocent. What I did in that bayou was neither.”

“You’re quite bothered by this, aren’t you?” Klaus marvelled as if guilt was a foreign concept to him.

“Of course I am!” Hayley insisted. “I don’t get any pleasure out of the fact that I got…well…pleasure out of killing those assholes. I was like an animal. No better than that wolf.”

 Klaus chuckled but stopped at her glare then he blinked. “Wait, what wolf?”

Hayley shrugged. “It’s just this wolf I’ve seen a few times now. He was there after I escaped from Langon. Then last night, like he was protecting me. I…thought it was you at first.”

Klaus shook his head. “My vampire side keeps my wolf side bound at my will.”

“Oh I wondered about that. I guess I haven’t gone through my wolf transition yet unless it happened after Rebekah’s compulsion. But if I had already transitioned I would know it, right?”

“You would. Mine happened my first kill,” Klaus said and she felt him shudder at the memory of the horrific night the revelation came that his father was not Mikael after all.

Hayley contemplated that for a moment. “That’s right. But then…why hasn’t mine happened yet? My first kill was as a cop last year. A guy who had kidnapped a little girl and was trying to leave the city with her. If it has to be a wolf/vampire type of kill, well, that was last night. Does it take a little while?” She asked with a shiver of dread. Would it happen today? Tomorrow?

“I don’t know why it hasn’t happened yet. But there are rumours that the witches know something about a set of rings that might let wolves control when they turn.”

Hayley shot up in bed. “Rings? What rings? Oh my-”

“Hayley, wait. Hang on. These are just rumours. I’m trying to find out more but-” He wrapped his hand around her arm to halt her.

“Was that why you’ve all of a sudden made that deal with the witches? I thought it was just another power grab about Davina but-” She grabbed his face and rained it with kisses. “Why didn’t you tell me that-”

“Hayley, hold on a moment. You can’t tell anyone what I just said.”

Hayley stopped and pulled back. “Why not?”

“Because I haven’t decided yet what I’m going to do if the rumours turn out to be true.” His gaze seemed to lose its warmth right before her eyes, as if he was shutting down right in front of her, bracing himself.

“What do you mean, you haven’t decided? Klaus, the wolves hate you. If you could do this, get them these rings that would help them control when they turn they would welcome you with open arms!”

He scowled. “And why would I care? I have never given a damn about the wolves and they’ve certainly never given a damn about me.”

She eased off of him. “They’re still a part of you.”

He snorted at that. “An accident of biology. Nothing more than the result of my mother playing the whore, love.”

“Charming,” Hayley said sarcastically. “What about me? I’m part of them as much as you are.”

Klaus stared at her. “Of course I would give you one. How could you think that I wouldn’t after… Bloody hell.” Now it was he who was moving off the bed, pulling his pants back on.

“How do you think I could live with myself if I had one of those rings and they didn’t?”

He stopped at the door and stared at her. “You were wrong. You haven’t changed. Bloody fucking Andrea Labonair!” He burst and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

She was going to storm after him, wanting to have this out rather than let him stew and let herself sulk and avoid him which had been their way of dealing with things thus far. Cami was always talking about how it was unhealthy to keep feelings bottled up, especially for parents to hold on to their resentments rather than talking things out. She and Klaus needed to learn how to do that. She hoped that she and Klaus could do that. Her intention was to chase after him but her stomach had other plans and she barely made it into the bathroom in her sheet clad body before her stomach emptied itself. She hadn’t suffered much morning sickness, thankfully but after the exertions of last night and this morning, she imagined her baby had been tossed around plenty and wasn’t happy about it.

When she came back to her room, a glass of ginger ale and crackers was on the night table and she had no doubt that it had been Klaus. Rebekah and Elijah had left early in the morning for different appointments. Her heart warmed even as she exhaled in exasperation. It was noon by the time she showered and ventured downstairs to find Klaus talking to the witch Sabine. Klaus gave her a brief look before informing the witch she would be staying with them until she could find a spell to unlink Hayley from the traitorous Sophie.

“We’re gonna need a bigger boat,” Hayley grumbled. “I’m gonna go find something to eat for breakfast…er lunch, I guess.”

“Uh, Hayley, a moment,” Klaus following her out of the living room.

“What?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and looking at him pointedly.

“I just want to make sure you aren’t thinking about discussing what we talked about with anyone, namely your friend Camille or any of you wolf friends in the bayou.”

Hayley clenched her jaw. “I’m feeling like a sandwich. I’m having a sudden craving for turkey. A nice big old slice of turkey.” She turned away from him and stormed down the hall.

“Hayley!” Klaus shouted after her.

“Shut up, Klaus. Just shut the fuck up,” Hayley snapped. Then she turned for a moment and gave him a mocking smile. “How was that? I bet Andrea Labonair never told you to go fuck yourself, did she?”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Not in words no. She was too much of a lady, but she certainly got the same point across on occasion with her tone.”

Hayley stopped in surprise at that and couldn’t help the bubble of laughter that escaped her. Trying not to let the way Klaus’s eyes softened affect her, she turned away and continued on to the kitchen.

“I don’t want you going into the bayou anymore,” Klaus insisted following her.

Hayley turned to him in exasperation. “I don’t have to do what you tell me, Klaus! They are my family and I’m not going to forget them like you have.”

“They’re nothing to me,” Klaus insisted.

“And what am I?” Hayley countered.

He flushed uncomfortably and looked away.

She grunted in frustration and pulled open the refrigerator door. “I’m the mother of your child. Someone you think you can boss around and dictate to.” She slammed the pack of sliced turkey on the counter.

“That’s not all and you know it,” Klaus insisted, grabbing her arm. “And if I’m being a tyrant as you seem to think it’s only because you’ve been attacked twice in that bayou now. Can you not see it’s not safe there for you nor our child? Can you forget your damned pride and independence and just think of your safety and our child’s safety for fuck sakes! I lost you once, God damn it. Have you no care for what it would do to me if…Oh to hell with it!” He burst in frustration and stormed towards the back door.

Her heart swelled at his words and tears burned her eyes. He stood on the back porch, scowling. “If you were to give the wolves the moonlight rings they would fight on our side, for our child.”

He looked down at her for a long time, hesitation but long held pain still there in his eyes. She wasn’t surprised that the pain won.

“I said no.”

Hayley swallowed and nodded in resignation. “I won’t take one if they don’t get one.”

He pinned her with a glare. “You will take one, if I have to make it wide enough to go around your neck and choke you with it, love. If for nothing else than I’m not willing to risk your transition killing another one of my children.”

Hayley stared at him, horrified at his words. “You’re a fucking bastard.”

He lifted his head, his eyes cold. “This is not news to you.” She turned back to the house. “Hayley.”

She stopped, hoping he would apologize.

“You will not say anything to anyone about those rings.”

Trembling with rage and despair, Hayley stormed back into the house.

She didn’t see him leave but was told by Sabine that she had been instructed to stay with Hayley and not leave her side until Klaus returned.

 “Peachy. And just what the hell am I supposed to do in this mausoleum all damn day?”

Sabine shrugged sympathetically.

She called Cami but it went to voice mail and after leaving her a brief message, Hayley hung up with a sigh. She walked around the various rooms, stopping in front of Elijah’s room when she spotted a leather bound book on his desk. She wondered if it was his mother Esther’s spell book but on closer inspection saw that it was his journal. She meant to put it down instantly when she spotted her name, or well, Andrea Labonair’s name.

_Something has happened to me. I cannot see her as that child we protected all those years ago, nor can I look at her with the same affection I have for Rebekah. I fear my brother’s paranoia is not unfounded this time. I see her, Andrea, and my soul stirs, awakens and my baser nature wants to snatch her away and take her for my own. I fear Niklaus sees this. Knows it. And some day we shall come to blows over it if I do not stop myself._

Hayley’s face went red hot and she looked quickly at the door, closing it behind her. She’d felt it in the way Elijah looked at her from day one. Sure, he was insanely handsome and there was an odd sort of attraction there between them but she didn’t return his feelings. He had to know that in how she was with Klaus. She wondered briefly if she had ever led him on and didn’t think so. She remembered that time by the tree, making love to Klaus and suddenly seeing Elijah and then trying to tell him without words that she could never love him the way he wanted.

She flipped through, telling herself she was wrong to invade this man’s thoughts. He was her friend. Friends didn’t invade each other’s privacy like this.

She stopped when she saw Mikael’s name.

_Our father Mikael has found us. I have never seen my brother so frightened, even when Mikael was beating him as a child. He will kill her. Our father has found Niklaus’s one weakness and will eagerly spill Andrea’s blood for the pleasure of destroying my brother. I held my brother as he sobbed and told me he is going to leave. My brother is not a good man, but I have to wonder if the cruelty of the fates against my brother is perhaps more than any living creature deserves._

She couldn’t help the tears that spilled down her cheeks. Damn the man. Klaus alternately infuriated her, broke her heart, then made her heart break for him. Hayley remembered the agony of his disappearance. Curled up on her bed sobbing with the lie he had left her with. That he was leaving because she refused to be turned.

She risked reading more.

_I have seen wounded animals in less agony than my brother is in now as our father gleefully and in gruesome detail, explained that Andrea had come after Niklaus and come upon Mikael instead and how our father had tortured her before she died cursing my brother’s name._

A sob burst from her and Hayley and she wanted to run to Klaus now and tell him that it had been a lie. Mikael had held her down and stabbed her before forcing her to drink his blood so she wouldn’t die yet all through that and the hours that followed with Rebekah and the healer and horrific agony of the death of her baby, Klaus’s name had been a prayer on her lips, a plea, the only thing that had given her strength to fight.

_“Call him. Call to him, sweetheart, let him give you strength” Rebekah whispered, stroking Andrea’s sweat dampened hair as her body writhed and bucked in the agony of her dying child. Rebekah’s tears fell on Andrea’s face, mixing with the sweat and her own tears._

_“NIKLAUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Andrea screamed._

Hayley dropped thebook and stood, shaking with tears streaming down her face.

 Footsteps were rushing towards the door and a frantic knock. “Hayley? Are you okay?” Sabine asked on the other side.

Hayley jumped a little, quickly wiping her face and before she opened the door.

The young black woman’s eyes looked her over in apparent concern.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Why?”

“You look as if you’ve been crying and I heard a scream.”

Hayley pressed her lips together, embarrassed. Shit. Had she screamed out loud? “No, I…just, um saw a spider.”

“A spider?” Sabine asked cocking an eyebrow in obvious disbelief. She shook her head and chuckled. “Come with me, I have an idea I think you’ll like.”

“For what?” Hayley asked.

“Just come,” Sabine urged motioning for Hayley to follow. They went down into the living room. “Do you know what the sex is yet?”

“The sex of the baby? No. Psycho doctor in the bayou said it was too early to tell. Maybe in another month or so.”

“You wanna find out?” Sabine asked with a smile, pulling her ring off her finger, lifting her necklace off her neck.

“I don’t think you should do that. You could get in trouble with Marcel for doing magic.”

“Not magic,” Sabine assured her. “Lie back on the couch. Just an old wives tale they say is supposed to be able to predict the baby’s sex.”

Hayley rolled her eyes but admitted only to herself that there was that little teeny bit of curiosity. She lay back and watched as Sabine dangled the ring now on her chain a few inches over Hayley’s belly. They both watched as after a few seconds the ring began to sway in wide circles. Sabine grinned at her and Hayley raised an eyebrow in question.

“Looks like you’re having a little girl.”

A squeal of delight Hayley told herself was totally ridiculous went through and she only managed to hold back. “Right,” she chuckled, trying to inject enough skepticism in her voice to hide the urge to squeal happily.

In the next instant, the smile dropped from Sabine’s face and her body stiffened.

Sabine’s eyes rolled up inside her head and her words muttered something in some language Hayley didn’t understand before with a violent jerk of her body, Sabine fell to the floor, blacking out instantly.


	30. Chapter Thirty

**Chapter Thirty**

**There Was No Way To Comfort The Lost Boy He Had Been, But Now She Had The Grown Male In Her Arms**

Hayley scrambled off the couch and down to the floor, trying to wake Sabine. “Jesus Christ, Sabine!” She slapped the woman’s face lightly just as there was the sound of someone unlocking the front door. “Klaus? Elijah? Rebekah, is that you? Quick! In the living room!”

Elijah appeared in the doorway and then rushed to her side. “What happened to her?”

“I don’t know. We were…doing a thing to find out the sex of the baby, a game really! No magic and then she just dropped.”

Elijah picked Sabine up and laid her on the couch. The woman stirred and opened her eyes slowly. Looking around, her eyes widened when they settled on Hayley. She scrambled to sit up. “I need to go.”

“Klaus said you had to stay-”

“Elijah is here now. You don’t need me to watch you anymore. I must leave!”

“Wait!” Hayley gripped her hand. “What did you say? Before you passed out. You said something.”

Sabine struggled against Hayley’s grip but she wouldn’t let go.

“What did you say?” Hayley demanded.

Sabine lowered her voice, eyes wide with panic. “Don’t let him do it. When the time comes. He will do it to save you, to save your child. He will align himself with the witch. Don’t let him. It will destroy you all.”

A chill went through Hayley and she was so affected that she could only stand back as Sabine pulled free and ran out of the house. Klaus. She knew without having to be told that Sabine meant Klaus. But what did it mean? What witch? Davina? No, even though they were in a middle of a power struggle, Marcel was still Hayley’s friend and Hayley trusted Marcel, and Marcel trusted Davina. And even if she had the typical teenage attitude, Hayley liked the girl. Sophie had already betrayed them as had Agnes. By the very nature of the fact that Sabine had warned her, Hayley knew she could be trusted, so who could she mean? A painful prick in the side of Hayley’s neck made her jump a little and she was stunned when she pulled her fingers back and came away with blood. Her eyes went instantly to the window thinking something might have blown in from there but it was closed.

Elijah chased after Sabine and a sudden weakness came over Hayley. Her legs buckled and she fell back onto the couch just as the sound of squealing tires and a crash came from outside.

Hayley tried to get up off her feet to see what had happened, fearful that Elijah had gotten hurt but her body felt weighed down and her head was starting to scream with a splitting headache. When she lifted her hand to her forehead she felt a jolt of alarm at how hot her skin felt.

Elijah came rushing back into the house. “Sabine’s dead. A truck came out of nowhere and just…what’s wrong?” He was on his knees next to her in an instant.  

“I don’t know,” she said slowly as the room spun around her. “I think something…bit me or something.” His image swam before her eyes as he cupped her face a second before darkness fell over her eyes and Hayley remembered no more.

A spasm of pain woke her up and she curled against the body next to her. For a disoriented moment she thought it was Klaus holding her but no, she knew his scent and the feel of his body the way she knew her own and instantly she knew it was Elijah and her eyes flew open in the dim lit backyard, holding her…both of them partially submerged in a pool.

“It’s all right, sweet heart. You’re going to be all right,” Elijah assured her.

Hayley cried out in pain and when she opened her eyes again she saw Davina up on the pool deck doing…what was she doing?

“Please…something’s happening to the baby…I can’t…I can’t hear it anymore…Elijah! Don’t let them hurt my baby!” She arched as another spasm of pain ripped through her. This couldn’t be happening to her. Not again. Please God, anything. But not this again!

“Shh, I promise. It’ll be all right. Davina’s going to unlink you from Sophie and you’ll be just fine. Just concentrate on my voice, Hayley.” She struggled to focus on anything but the pain. He cupped her face and guided her breathing, tears rolled down her cheeks as she pressed her face against his.

“Please Elijah…don’t let my baby die…Please…”

His eyes met hers, steadfast. “It won’t. I promise you, sweetheart. I will not let that happen. I promise I will never let anything hurt you.” She believed him. He would die for her if need be. She shivered and burrowed closer to him, wishing she could return the intensity of his feeling…and it slowly occurred to her in a rush of excited shock that the pain was completely gone. 

Behind her she heard a delighted squeal. “I did it! I did, right? You’re not in pain in more, right?” Davina asked rushing up to the edge of the pool.

Behind Davina, Hayley saw Klaus in the sliding doorway, a mix of emotions on his face, predominantly anger. She imagined she painted quite a picture wrapped around Elijah the way she was. A flare of annoyance went through her. God damn it. Elijah was her friend and he’d just helped her through something so terrifying. _Fuck you, Klaus!_ She was not gonna act like that meant nothing. She wrapped her arms around Elijah and hugged him tightly, kissing his cheek. “Thank you so much.” When she looked back Klaus was gone and she wasn’t surprised. Rebekah was coming out to the backyard now, looking behind her for a moment and calling to her brother before turning back to the three of them.

“Are you all right?” Rebekah asked.

Elijah guided Hayley to the edge and he and Davina helped her out of the pool. “Yeah. I’m okay. And thanks to you too!” Hayley said quickly pulling Davina into a hug. “You saved my baby. I can never repay you for that.”

The young girl blushed when Hayley pulled back. “Hey, you don’t have to. I’m glad I could help. It’s kind of cool, you know, cause there’s that old belief that when you save someone’s life you’re bound to them, like, forever.”

“Well, I don’t know about that,” Hayley said leaning on Elijah with watery limbs. “I sure as hell felt like I was dying but I think I’ve had enough of the whole bonding thing for a gazillion lifetimes.”

“Oh, no offense but I didn’t mean you. I meant your baby, you know?” Davina corrected her and she looked so eager and earnest that Hayley couldn’t help be moved and a little chilled at the truth of her words. If Davina hadn’t succeeded, her baby might be dead right now, but no, her heart beat steadily beneath her skin so Hayley could hear it and feel it all over again. _Thank God._

As soon as Elijah assured himself that Hayley was all right he left to go after Klaus.

“Where did they take off to?” Hayley asked, laying on the lounge chair by the pool.

“Well, now that Davina’s managed to unlink you from Sophie, I imagine they’re off to find Agnes who’s probably done something to Sophie and kill them both.”

Hayley leaned back and tried to call up some unease with the idea of Klaus and Elijah going off and killing anyone, but she found none. No. Instead there was only satisfaction. Sophie and Agnes had threatened her baby. They deserved to die. Remembering her panic at being unable to hear her baby overrode even the cramping pain, Hayley felt only a simmering rage. She was tempted to go after Klaus and Elijah to kill the two witches herself. “Good.”

Rebekah looked at her. “There’s something else too.” She cleared her throat. “When I came up to Klaus watching the three of you in the pool…Klaus has this complex about Elijah. My brother thinks he can never measure up to the good brother. Add to that Elijah’s obvious feelings for you…it felt a bit like you were poking the beast.”

“Maybe I was,” Hayley admitted with a lift of her chin.

“Don’t,” Rebekah warned. “Klaus doesn’t handle jealousy well.”

“God, Rebekah, you brother can be such a petulant child!” Hayley exclaimed in frustration. “I’ve told him again and again that I don’t feel anything for Elijah beyond friendship and for God sakes he helped me today! I’m not going to apologize for caring about Elijah. So yeah, maybe I laid it on a bit thick when I saw Klaus because how he was glaring at me pissed me the fuck off! I’ve been more than clear about my feelings for him while Klaus can’t even say something nice to me with looking like he’s going to have coronary.”

“You can’t seriously be doubting how my brother feels about you,” Rebekah insisted.

“No. It’s just…ugh!” Hayley squeezed her eyes shut, beyond annoyed. “It’s been a shit day and I’m a hormonal pregnant woman. I just need some time by myself, okay? I promise I won’t go anywhere. I just want to sit out here alone for a little bit, okay?”

“Sure.” Rebekah leaned over and kissed her cheek before getting off her chair and heading back inside.

Hayley lay in the soft light, closing her eyes and finding comfort in the sound of her baby’s heartbeat. She placed her hands on the growing swell of her stomach and sighed. “Even though your dad is being a jackass, as long as you’re okay, all is right with the world.” She gave a little giggle. “Corny, I know. But doesn’t make it any less true, little one. I wonder if Sabine was right and you are a little girl. Poor Sabine.”

Hayley closed her eyes and let the sound of her baby’s heartbeat lull her for a little while. When she opened her eyes it was from the sense of being watched. She gave a little start when she saw a wolf across the grounds, just on the edge of the estate. Not any wolf. _The_ wolf. The one who had helped her in the bayou. “Hey you,” she said, sitting up with a smile and making her way over to it. “Who are you, hmm? I’d like to meet you someday if I can to properly thank you.”

He bowed his head and then turned and left, leaving her bemused but smiling.

“Looks like you have protectors all around, baby girl,” Hayley said softly, touching her belly.

She was in Klaus’s study when he returned. “How did it go? With Agnes and Sophie?”

He crossed his arms over his chest and walked into the room.  “Sophie’s body was found in the cemetery. I’m only sorry someone beat me to it. Agnes has wisely performed a disappearing act but I’ve spoken with Father Kieran and convinced him to urge the humans to track her down.”

Hayley stiffened. “What do you mean convinced? You know he’s Cami’s uncle. If you-”

He clenched his jaw. “I didn’t threaten the priest, for God sake.”

“Oh. Good,” Hayley said.

“I threatened Camille.” At her gasp he rushed ahead. “Now of course I would never do anything to hurt your friend, but Father Kieran doesn’t need to know that. I quite like your little therapist BFF.”

“Good. Cause if you laid a hand on Cami I’d have to kill you and that would just be messy,” Hayley said only half joking.

He snorted and then grew serious. “How are y…How is the child?” He corrected quickly and Hayley tried not to roll her eyes. Why did she have to be in love with such an emotionally stunted jackass?

“The baby is fine,” she said. “And so am I by the way,” she added.

“Yes, I noticed my brother Elijah was most efficient in your care. You, of course were oh so grateful,” he scowled.

She shook her head. “A thousand years and nothing has changed. I can scream it from the rooftops but you’ll never believe me, will you? I’m not in love with Elijah. I never was. From the time I was six years old, you were all I could see. I don’t know what to do to make it more clear to you. Elijah is like family. You…Forget it. If you can’t tell…if you can’t feel how much I feel for you, maybe this bonding thing doesn’t work like I thought it did.”

His eyes widened in panic. “It’s not…that. It’s…I know my brother and I know he inspires devotion and loyalty because he’s the better man.”

“He’s a kinder man. He’s not afraid of showing people that he cares about them. Us lowly folks, we respond to that. We like when people are nice to us, Klaus. That doesn’t mean I’m in love with him. With the exception of Cami and Marcel, for a thousand years I can’t remember anyone ever being kind to me so I’m not going to apologize for caring about Elijah. If you can’t see that it’s different than how I care about you, damn it, how I love you…well, that’s your problem then, isn’t it?”

He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Was there a reason you were sitting in here? You’re welcome to read any of the books but our library is more extensive as you’ve seen.”

She sighed at his predictable change of subject. “No, I just…wanted to use your computer.” She didn’t say that she liked being here in his study, among his things. “Is that a problem? Don’t worry, I didn’t check out your porn stash if that’s what you’re worried about,” she teased.

 He rolled his eyes. “Well, good night then.” He nodded to her and turned to leave.

“I learned something today,” she said and he halted in the door way.

She smiled and touched her stomach. “I think it’s a girl.”

He didn’t turn around for a long time but it was as if she could feel the smile blooming from his face. When he did turn around it was to stride back towards her, cup her face and kiss her. His lips captured hers in sweet, thorough delight and Hayley tried not to sigh into his mouth, then moan in protest as he pulled away too quickly and walked away, leaving her dazed but warmly shivering all over.

They’d made a sort of peace, but Hayley wasn’t quite ready to let him back into her bed and Klaus didn’t push so she lay in bed, alone, staring up at the ceiling, her head swimming with too many thoughts to let her sleep. She didn’t know what to do. Things were good between them when they were in bed but outside of it, with all the plots and deceits and anger, they just kept butting heads and she didn’t know how to change it because she felt like she was in the right, damn it!

But God were they ever good. She turned on her side and stared at the door, and a feeling of unease slowly began to seep down her nerves, replacing the lustful throbbing she blamed on pregnancy hormones. She sat up with the sudden certainty that Klaus needed her.

Slipping on her robe, she opened her door and listened to the quiet of the dark hallway. She cursed herself. Klaus was probably sound asleep and would probably see her as some weak, clingy puppy wanting to make sure he was okay, but that feeling in her gut wouldn’t let her turn back to her bedroom and she forced herself to his door. She knocked softly.

“Klaus?” she whispered. She tried to listen for anything on the other side but didn’t expect to hear anything as the walls and doors were old school thick. She turned the door knob and cracked the door open, the moonlight filtered into the studio from the window and she crossed the space quietly to his bedroom. She knocked again and repeated his name, opening the door after a few seconds.

The room was bathed in darkness but she could just barely make out the beautiful strong angles of his face. A low moan made her pause and she watched as his body writhed on the bed, his head shaking to and fro on the pillow. He was muttering under his breath too but Hayley couldn’t make out what he was saying. As she got closer she noticed his skin was drenched in sweat and he was trembling. She touched his face and watched his features crumple and tears seemed to seep from his closed eyes.

“No…” he moaned. “I promise…I promise…Just don’t…hurt her…Father…no…”

Her heart sank hearing his pitiful pleas. “Klaus,” she whispered, gently shaking him.

He didn’t wake, deep in his nightmare. She shook his shoulder again.

His eyes flew open as his hand shot out and grabbed her, pulling her off her feet and spun her onto her back. His eyes were open but Hayley could tell that he wasn’t really seeing her, His hands went around her neck and she felt a burst of panic.

“I’ll kill you,” he hissed in her face. “You will not touch her. I will kill you, Father, if you try and hurt my child.”

“Klaus, it’s me…It’s Hayley…” She pulled at his hands, cursing her stupidity for wanting to come in and comfort him cause her damn feelings sensed he was in trouble. He was, and now so was she. _Genius move, Hayley. Really._

“You took her away. You took Andrea away from me, damn you. I swear, I will make you pay!” he growled.

“I’m here, Klaus!” Hayley choked, trying to suck in the little bit of air that she could.

“Andrea?” He asked, his fingers loosening their grip so Hayley was able to grab a good lung full of air.

She touched his face, deciding it was better to be the girl he used to know for a little while if it would bring him out of his terror. “Yeah.” She stroked his cheek and tried to smile. “It’s Andrea. I’m here. I’m alive. See? Touch me. Feel me.” She took his hand and lifted it on to her face. “Mikael didn’t kill me. Niklaus, I’m here with you.”

His face crumpled and he pulled her close, burying his face in her neck. “Oh my love. Don’t leave me. I love you, do you hear me? Beyond anything. I love you. Don’t ever leave me. You’re here. You’re here and you’re safe. Thank God. Thank God.”

Hayley didn’t even think Klaus believed in God so to hear him utter God’s name was almost as much of a shock to her as hearing him finally say after so long without hearing it that he loved her. She told herself that he wasn’t even fully conscious…but somehow, that made it more powerful. His walls were down. He was aware of nothing…but he loved her.

She felt the dampness of his tears against her neck and her own tears fell into the sweat dampened strands of his hair as she sensed him slip back into unconsciousness and this time sleep peacefully. He was heavy, even if only half of his body lay on her and Hayley was uncomfortable, but his breath was warm and steady against her skin, with no sign of the terror that had gripped him, so for his sake, Hayley didn’t move.


	31. Chapter Thirty-One

**Chapter Thirty-One**

**Friendship Is Really The Finest Balm For The Pangs Of Disappointed Love**

She slept fitfully, what with the nearly 6 foot, softly snoring blond man on top of her. He didn’t move when he slept when he wasn’t in the grip of a nightmare anyway, Hayley concluded. It was rather eerie. She usually woke up in a mess of twisted sheets so knew on her own that she was not a still sleeper. It didn’t seem to bother Klaus though if he’d noticed since he slept like the dea… well. Hayley couldn’t help the small giggle that escaped her and she watched as Klaus’s face twitched and his fair eyebrows furrowed as he stirred into wakefulness.

He lifted his head, his eyes meeting hers and his mouth curving into the sweetest sleepy smile before his gaze clouded with confusion, mingled with a snarkiness. “Not that I’m not always pleased to have you in my bed, love, but I wasn’t expecting any amorous advances given your recent crossness with me.”

Hayley narrowed her eyes at him. “Is that ‘pompous’ for ‘I thought you were still pissed at me’? And the answer to that is yes. I am.”

He eased off of her. “Then what are you doing here?” A glimmer of concern crossed his face. “Did you have a nightmare or did something frighten you?”

The irony of that made Hayley bite her cheek. Hard. She could tell him the truth, but she didn’t have it in her to throw what he would deem as a weakness in his face.

“Yeah,” she lied.

The snarkiness disappeared instantly and sympathy mingled with what looked like pleasure that she’d turned to him for comfort showed on his face now. “Ah. Better now?” he asked softly.

Hayley sighed as the stupid part of her melted at his concern. “Mmm. Yeah.” She shrugged.

“I guess old habits die hard, Little Wolf,” he whispered, touching her cheek.

She shook her head briefly, not understanding.

“You used to sleep under my window as a child. Do you not remember?”

“Oh,” her face reddened. “Yeah. Thanks for reminding me. How did you even put up with me?”

He chuckled briefly, his face softening. “You brought me the only small bit of joy I knew back then.”

She exhaled, wishing they could always be like this. If only he would see that she was right. “Klaus, I wish you could just-”

“Let’s just lay here and talk of pleasant things. Can’t we do that?”

She sat up and acknowledged to herself that she really didn’t want to get into another fight with him and spoil the moment. “We can, but the baby seems to enjoy using my bladder as a squeeze toy,” she grimaced, shuffling off his bed.

“Is it moving about yet?” he asked, looking at her stomach with a mix of wariness and curiosity.

Hayley lifted a finger. “Pee first. Questions later.”

When she returned, her mouth dropped open at the spread waiting on his bed. Coffee and pastries, all of which were still steaming. “How the…I couldn’t have been gone for more than two minutes!”

Klaus smiled and motioned her over to the bed.

She climbed back onto the bed and took a sip of the deliciously steaming coffee. “Mmm, yes, I’ll go back to being pissed at you later.”

He chuckled and placed one of the pastries on a small plate for her. She studied it. “These were not downstairs. I would have found them, trust me.”

“They were not,” he admitted smugly.

“You got these from the bakery, like, just now?”

He nodded, his eyes lit with humour as he took a bite of his own.

“What? You just whooshed over to the bakery and bought some pastries and whooshed back?” Hayley asked, laughing.

He grinned. “Indeed I did.”

“Cocky,” Hayley said rolling her eyes.

“But effective,” Klaus pointed out. “So, about our littlest wolf, is it moving yet?”

Hayley smiled at the nickname. “I don’t think so. Sometimes I think so, like a little…air bubble or something across my stomach but it’s probably just gas. You should start calling it a her or she’ll develop a complex.”

“So you believe Sabine’s little parlour trick, do you?”

Hayley bit her lip. “Yeah, I know it’s stupid but I just…feel like it’s a girl.”

“Do you? And you don’t think it will it a complex if she comes out a he and you’ve been calling it a her all these months?” Klaus countered.

“ _She_ won’t,” Hayley said confidently. “Though, a girl, having Klaus Mikaelson for a father…” She shuddered playfully.

The smile slipped from his face and Hayley regretted her words instantly. “Oh hey, I didn’t mean it like that.”

He shrugged and she hated the distant look that fell over his eyes so she dared to reach out and take his hand, encouraged when he didn’t pull away.

 “I just mean you can be a little…um…intense. I feel sorry for any boys that coming sniffing around her.”

He squeezed her fingers and a look of warning filled his gaze. “There will be no boys sniffing around my daughter. Ever.”

Hayley bit her lip and tried not to laugh. “Well, good point, they might be girls.”

Klaus blinked and then snorted. “Male or female. My daughter is dating over my dead body.”

“Vampires don’t die,” Hayley pointed out dryly.

“Exactly,” Klaus said, his eyes lit with humour again.

It got her right in the heart seeing him like this. She lowered her head, letting her hair cover her face so he couldn’t see how much she ached for them to stay like this.

He reached out and lifted her chin with his finger. “You may hate me for it, but I’m doing what I must to protect our child.”

She cleared her throat. “Yeah, I believe you think that, but I also know you’re going about it all wrong.” She shrugged. “So it’s a stalemate I guess. I better go get dressed. Cami’s coming over soon. This was really nice, Klaus. Thanks.”

She scrambled off the bed and walked towards the door.

“Hayley,” Klaus called out, halting her.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice tight, his face flushed. He cleared his throat. “For staying last night.”

Ah, so he did remember then. She nodded and gave him a small smile. Once again, a truce. Hayley didn’t know how long it would last, but for now, she’d take it.

Camille came by an hour later with bit of news that should have shocked Hayley, but didn’t, and she couldn’t help feel guilty about that. “I wish I was an alcoholic, Hayley. That way, I could drink myself into a stupor and no one would bat an eye,” her friend said as they flopped on the couch in the living room.

“At least you can get drunk. I tell you, five minutes in this house and you’ll be raiding the liquor cabinet. As soon as this little bun is out of my oven I plan on getting shit faced,” Hayley promised.

“Yet you’re still here,” Cami pointed out. “Davina told me how she unlinked you from Sophie and I think Klaus and Elijah are after Agnes according to my uncle so you should be able to go back to your apartment, no? The witches would be stupid to attack you after what happened to Sophie and what’s about to go down with Agnes.”

“After what happened to poor Sabine, I have to wonder if those loyal to Agnes will just pick up where she left off and ignore the deal Klaus made with the witches. Honestly though. I’m getting twitchy. Klaus and I keep butting heads even though I’m trying so hard to keep the peace between us and to his credit I know Klaus is trying too but we just have such different ideas about…Christ, everything!” She shook her head. “But no, you have to tell me. What’s driving you to drink this week?”

“Marcel and I are over,” Cami informed her, the sadness there in her eyes.

“Damn,” Hayley reached across the couch and hugged her friend.

Cami’s arm tightened around her and she heard her friend sniffle before pulling back and trying to compose herself though Hayley could see the glistening of tears.

“I’m so sorry, Cami,” Hayley got up and went over to the small set up close to the entertainment center. She poured her friend a small shot of whiskey. “It’s nine o’clock in the morning but these are dire circumstances.”

“You’re the best,” she said, drowning the drink. “I shouldn’t be surprised as that whole night with Thierry really opened my eyes but what I was not prepared for was the whole Marcel sleeping with Rebekah thing. That one came out of left field.”

Hayley jerked back. “Eh?”

“Oh yeah. Marcel told me because he didn’t want anyone else, read: Rebekah, to tell me first which is just like something that bitch would do…er…no offense.”

“Oh um, none taken. Wow.” Hayley looked towards the living room doors though she knew Rebekah nor her brothers were home. “She didn’t say a word.” She felt horrible for her friend, but not surprised. She’d known there was something between Marcel and Rebekah the instant they saw them together and what she’d learned of their history…Christ, it had just been a matter of time.

“Well, probably because she knows you and I are friends. The thing is…shit…” Cami shook her head as the tears she’d been holding back broke loose and fell down her cheeks.

“I still love him. He says he still loves me, but…we can’t go on as we were. I can’t accept what he did, both the Rebekah thing and Thierry and this whole fucking thing with Klaus. And yet…we still care about each other. Love conquers all. What a crock. ‘I love you’ doesn’t fix shit, Hayley. It really doesn’t.”

A heavy weight settled in Hayley’s chest as she feared Cami was right. Whatever Klaus felt for her, he would never stop fighting to be the most powerful, feared monster in the world because he thought that was the only way to protect himself, her and their child.

“Have you heard the mayor’s retiring?” Cami asked, after blowing her nose.

Hayley took her friend’s cue for her desire to change the subject. “That right?” she asked evasively.

“Apparently going to spend his retirement on a riverboat? You wouldn’t happen to know anything about his sudden new passion, would you?” Cami asked searching her face.

Hayley lowered her face into her tea and took another sip. “Mmm,” she replied noncommittally.

“Oh come on. That has Klaus written all over it.”

Hayley pressed her lips together. And leaned forward to the tray on the coffee table. “Want a cookie?”

“Fuck your cookie, girl. Come on. I need something to take my mind off the misery that is my life so spill.”

“Not Klaus,” she confessed, biting into a chocolate chip cookie.

“Oh right.”

“Seriously. Not Klaus,” Hayley repeated.

Cami cocked an eyebrow and then her mouth fell open. “Noooooo! No shit? You? You compelled Mayor Lancel to take up playing the banjo on a Mississippi riverboat?”

“Well he was being a grabby asshole the night of the music festival!” Hayley explained.  “You should have seen him. I wasn’t worth polluting his police force but oh he wanted into my pants. Ugh. It was ….so gross. So Josh and I took him into the alley and…yeah. And you know what? I’m not sorry.” She added.

Cami was too busy laughing to be judgemental though Hayley knew she wouldn’t be. “Oh crap. Thank you for that. I need that. Damn.” She blew her nose again. “Well, needless to say McCready is happy to have Lancel off his ass by the end of this week and hopeful that the new mayor, whoever he’ll end up being will be more open to people like you be a part of the department. He really wants you back.”

“Yeah, but Kevin doesn’t and who knows how many others think like him. Besides. I can’t risk it with this little one now. Maybe once she’s born…” Hayley stroked her stomach.

“You know it’s a girl?” Cami asked, her eyes lighting.

“Well,” Hayley shrugged sheepishly. “According to poor Sabine and a ring on a chain. Not sure what the Journal of Medicine would have to say about that but…she feels like a girl.”

They stopped when they heard the door opening. “Ah, my psycho baby daddy and his stoic, GQ-esque tormented brother must be home. Give me a sec. I’ll make sure they don’t bother us cause I want us to talk more. Have another whiskey if you need it,” Hayley urged her and closed the door behind her as she stepped out into the hall.

Klaus was proudly slapping his brother on the back, Elijah being his usual stoic self.

“So I’m guessing it went well?” Hayley asked with a raised eyebrow. She felt a cautious relief.

“Elijah was magnificent, Hayley. It was a thing to behold.”

“Elijah?” Hayley asked looking to the older man in surprise. He pursed his lips and gave his brother a look of exasperation.

“Quite right. Seems my dear brother had assured Agnes that I would do nothing to harm her. My brother is of course a man of his word and I didn’t lift a finger to our Agnes. I should feel disappointed that he spoiled my fun but her end was so entertaining that I find I don’t mind all that much.”

Hayley gave a little shiver. Klaus was more blatant about it, but Hayley forgot sometimes that Elijah had the same capacity for violence inside of him. He just kept the monster leashed more effectively than Klaus did. Hayley couldn’t deny there was something really sexy about that and she wondered again how some woman hadn’t snapped Elijah up yet.

Oh. _Right._

She met Elijah’s gaze and remembering his journal, her face flamed and she quickly looked away. She liked to think with time he’d have got over his feelings for her. Surely there had been other women, but it had been a thousand years and that energy was still there between them.

“So what happens now?” Hayley asked, forcing herself to push that awareness away because there was really nothing she could do about Elijah’s feelings. Once he fell in love with someone else he’d…hmm…A thought whispered through her mind but she quickly discarded it. No way would Cami go for it. She’d told her she’d sworn off all men for the foreseeable future and when she was ready to date again, Hayley couldn’t imagine her jumping back into the vampire pool again.

   “Now, we watch as any other dissenters scamper about and fall without Agnes to lead them and when we can be assured the remaining witches remain loyal to us, we put into play the next phase of our plan to regain control of the empire Marcel stole from our family,” Klaus stated.

“Which is what?” Hayley pressed.

Klaus simply smiled at her evasively. “How is fair Camille? Did you enjoy your visit?” He asked, changing the subject.

 “I’m going to take a shower,” Elijah said, tossing his brother a look that told Hayley he wasn’t much pleased with Klaus’s ‘plan’.

“Fine,” Hayley replied to Klaus’s question. “How on earth did you get Father Kieran to even agree to help you trap Agnes? I didn’t think you were his favorite person.”

Klaus smiled at her. “Well, after your attack in the bayou I had a little chat with Father Kieran where I informed him that that witch Agnes was responsible for what happened to his nephew Sean.”

Hayley took a step back. “Cami’s brother Sean? She was? How?”

“The witch put a hex on the lad that caused him to snap and massacre everyone in his path that night.”

“She did what?” Cami asked and Hayley gave a little start, not realizing Camille had opened the living room door and had heard them. Her blue eyes were wide with shock in her fair, now pale face. “And my uncle knew? He knew?” She asked, her voice thick with the pain of betrayal. “He never said a word to me. How long has he known?”

Klaus at least had the decency to look uncomfortable before he answered. “A few days.”

Camille closed her eyes and shook her head. “A few days. I talked to him yesterday and he never said a word. He knew how heartbroken I was over what happened to Sean, tearing myself apart wondering how I couldn’t have seen the signs before my brother snapped. Wondering if I could have-”

“Cami, come on. I’m sure-” Hayley started but Cami cut her off.

“No!” Cami snapped. “I’ve wondered for years if there was something I could have done to prevent what happened to my brother.” Her eyes filled with tears. “We were so connected. I should have felt it. I should have felt that something was wrong. I will never forgive him for this. I swear I will never forgive my uncle for this!” She stormed towards the door and Hayley grabbed Klaus’s arm.

“You have to do something!” Hayley pleaded in a whisper.

Klaus looked at her in confusion. “I’m sorry?”

“She needs her uncle! He’s the only family she has left.”

“So you expect me to what, exactly?” Klaus lowered his voice to match hers as Cami pulled the door open and made her way down the front porch steps.

“You know what!” Hayley hissed fervently.

Klaus gripped her arm. “Well, I know you can’t surely want me to compel your friend to forget what she just heard because you were quite insistent if I recall that I was to never compel Camille again.”

Hayley clenched her teeth, annoyed at him for throwing her words back in her face. “I’m changing my mind. We women are funny like that. Now please, Klaus. Please,” she pleaded, looking up at him.

He held her gaze for a moment, and she felt a little beat of triumph when she saw the moment he gave in. He growled in frustration. “Bloody hell. Fine.” He turned away from her and went after Camille.

Hayley bit back a smile and turned towards the stairs. Elijah’s door was open and she saw him holding the journal, looking up when he saw her. She tried to hide the guilty flush in her face but knew by the heat in her cheeks that she wasn’t successful.

He cleared his throat and tucked it back in his desk. “So has Camille left?”

“Um, yeah,” Hayley said.

He looked down at the journal, touching the leather. “Hayley, I’m…I want you to know-”

“No.” Hayley shook her head. “I’m sorry I looked at it. I didn’t…I really didn’t read much,” she lied.

He watched her. “But enough. I don’t mean to embarrass you but-”

“Then don’t,” Hayley urged him.

He slowly nodded.

“They are your private thoughts and I shouldn’t have stuck my nose in where it had no business being, okay? I was the one in the wrong. You and I are friends and friends don’t do that.”

“Friends,” Elijah agreed.

“Yeah.” She looked at him. “Just that. I feel like apologizing for that but I shouldn’t, right? I mean, you can’t help how you feel and I can’t help how I do. I do love you, Elijah. And maybe if there wasn’t Klaus…yeah…maybe. But there is Klaus and…it’s like…what I feel for him… sometimes feels like I can’t contain it all. Even when I hate him at the same time. I have a feeling it would be a lot easier to love you, but…” Hayley shrugged. She went up to him and softly kissed his cheek. “True, true friends, okay?”

Elijah gave her a sad smile but cupped her face and kissed both of her cheeks and then her forehead. “Always and forever.”


	32. Chapter Thirty-Two

**Chapter Thirty-Two**

**I’m Oxygen And He’s Dying To Breathe**

Rebekah arrived a little before dinner. They’d have to talk about what happened with her and Marcel eventually so Hayley decided to nip the damn thing in the bud and meet her in Rebekah’s room as she was getting ready.

“So how’s Marcel doing?” Hayley asked, leaning against the doorway as Rebekah brushed her hair.

Rebekah’s hand paused mid stroke and her eyes met Hayley’s in the mirror. “How would I kn-”

“No.” Hayley said holding up her hand, walking into the room. “The guys lie to us all the time. To protect us or in Klaus’s case usually to hide some smarmy thing he’s done, but you and I…no, okay? I love you and I know that you and I have never lied to each other. I’m gonna ask you again. How’s Marcel, Rebekah?”

Rebekah sighed and set the brush down, turning around in her seat to face her. “So you’ve spoken to Camille.”

“She came by earlier today. Yeah.” Hayley sighed. “Look, I know this is awkward and might be none of my business but it would be even more weird if I said nothing because Cami is my best friend.”

Rebekah nodded. “I understand. I can’t even explain it to myself, Hayley, so I’m not sure how you want me to explain it to you. All I know is…it happened…and I don’t regret it. I know that puts you in a terrible position so I can understand if you’re angry with me-”

“I’m not,” Hayley assured her quickly. “Damn. I know better than anyone how hard it is to deny what you feel for someone regardless of what a disaster it could be. I knew there was something between you and Marcel the second I saw the two of you together. I just wish my best friend hadn’t been the one to get burned by it.”

“So do I. I mean that, Hayley. Now Camille is not my favorite person but I base that on the simple fact that she is a rival for Marcel’s affection. If it wasn’t for that, who knows? We might have been friends…” Rebekah trailed off as if to ponder that and then shook her head at the same time as Hayley did.

“No you wouldn’t.”

“No we wouldn’t,” they answered in unison.

Rebekah smiled ruefully and got up off her seat and extended her arms to Hayley. “Still friends then, love?”

“More than friends. We’re family,” Hayley assured her, hugging her tightly. “So what does this mean for you and Marcel now? Things are over with him and Cami so are the two of you together now cause that could make for some really interesting family dinners.”

“Ugh, come sit. Your turn.”

Hayley took Rebekah’s seat and the other woman came around and stood behind her, gathering Hayley’s hair together.

“Nothing has changed between Marcel and I. Not really. He won’t give up this empire of his, nor this war with my brother.”

“Did you ask him to?” Hayley asked as Rebekah brushed her hair.

“I have lived over a thousand years and the only times I have been truly happy has been with Marcel. We took him in as a child and then one day he was this beautiful grown man and my heart was utterly lost to him.”

Hayley gave her a sad smile. “Yeah, I know the feeling.” Only _she_ had been the child and Klaus had been the man she’d seen as a protector and friend, then once she was grown and her feelings had changed…Christ, a thousand years of adoration. Talk about carrying a torch.

“So when it finally happened again between us, I begged him to leave everything behind and run with me.”

“You were going to run?” Hayley asked, a flash of panic stabbing her in the belly even as she realized the selfish emotion for what it was.

Rebekah gave her an apologetic smile in the mirror and she dropped a kiss on the crown of Hayley’s head. “I would have missed you terribly, but…yes. I think if Marcel and I can just go somewhere with no wars, not plots, we could be happy.”

“But he said no,” Hayley said, a lump in her throat as she understood how similar their situations were.

“He said no,” Rebekah confirmed, her eyes glistening.

“God. Men,” Hayley grumbled.

“So I told him that I wanted nothing to do with his empire if it meant joining with Marcel to go to war against my brother.”

Hayley reached back and squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry.”

Rebkah gave a sad laugh and leaned down and hugged her. “We’re a sad pair, you and I, aren’t we?”

“I say we go find some nice boring accountants to fall in love with. What do ya say?”

Klaus informed her at dinner that Camille was fine now that Klaus had done what Hayley had asked of him.

“Thank you,” Hayley said.

His cheeks grew pink at her gratitude and he cleared his throat. “I’ll just remind you of the necessity of employing underhanded tactics for the greater good next time you regale me with one of your lectures on morality, Little Wolf.”

She cocked her head and gave him a mocking sweet smile. “I’m sure you will.” She speared a baby potato with her fork and flung it at him across the table.

He caught it in his mouth and winked at her.

Klaus told Hayley he didn’t want her to join him in his bed that night. “I could have hurt you. I’ll deal with my nightmares just fine. I have for a thousand years.”

“Uh…you’re not exactly what Camille would call a shining example of healthy coping mechanisms. I never knew you had nightmares. Which leads me to believe that you never had them when we were together. Ipso facto…nyah nyah,” Hayley said unable to come up with a stronger more eloquent conclusion than that.

“I’m not taking the chance on hurting you again. I saw the marks around your neck when I woke, Hayley. So no. It’s out of the question.”

Hayley’s hand went instantly to her neck, self-consciously. Nobody had said anything so she could only assume...

 “It’s faded but I know it was there and it was my hands that marked you so you’ll sleep in your room from now on.”

“That’s just stupid. Look, I can help you, Klaus. I want to help you-”

He placed his hands on her shoulders and glared at her, his eyes cold and annoyed. “I said no. I don’t need anyone’s help. I don’t want you in there with me. If I want to fuck you, I’ll let you know. Otherwise, leave me be.”

She jerked back at his terrible words and for a moment, she was too stunned to feel anything but pain and embarrassment at his dismissal as he walked away from her up the stairs. Her face felt scalding hot with mortification and she could only be glad that no one else had been around them.

When the initial sting passed and the threat of tears was just managed to be held under control, Hayley could see the cruel words for what they were. A diversion tactic. “You damned rookie. You act like you just met the man. You know better, Hayley Marshall. Ugh! Amateur!” She stormed up the stairs to tell him she knew exactly the game he was playing…only to find he had locked the door.

“Why you little stinker,” Hayley said softly as she jiggled the doorknob. “Okay, fine.” She’d let him think he’d won for now. Hayley turned around and went back down the stairs and outside to sit by the pool by herself for a while. She wasn’t tired. This pregnancy was a piece of work on her sleep. During the day there were times she could barely keep her eyes open, yet night came and sometimes she couldn’t fall asleep and would lay there perfectly alert for hours.

Sitting by herself by the water sometimes helps so Hayley spread herself out on the lounge chair and closed her eyes, hands absently stroking her growing belly. It was like a little bowling ball at this point. She briefly wondered if she was going to get fat. So far her breasts and belly were the only parts of her that had changed noticeably. She looked like she’d actually swallowed a bowling ball, she thought with an amused smile.

A noise across the pool caught her attention. A pang of alarm gripped her as she watched the greenery across the grounds move in the still night air. She looked back towards the backyard door, wondering if she should call out and caught sight of the net used to clean the pool, the only weapon to hand. Hayley decided to see what was across the grounds first as the thought that maybe it was the wolf she’d seen before made her feel a little better.

She stepped closer and a mass of curly dark hair popped up from behind the foliage.

“Wait!” A very male voice came from behind the dark hair and a tangle of broad muscled limbs fell backwards.

“What the…” Hayley whispered as the man…clearly a man, scrambled to feet and grabbed a chunk of the hedge and ripped it off with a concentrated effort to cover that fact that he was naked. But he was a few seconds too late and Hayley caught him in all his impressive glory. She gripped the handle on the pool skimmer a little tighter, holding it like a weapon. “Well, um…you’re very naked, buddy. You have a name or should I just call you naked guy creeping around my bushes?”

He gave a small grin of amusement. “Jackson. My name is Jackson Kenner.”

“Okay, Naked Jackson Kenner, what are you doing creeping around my bushes?”

 “You said you wanted to meet me,” he said, his grin widening.

Hayley blinked and stepped back in confusion. Realization dawned and she gasped, surge of delight bursting through her. He was the wolf. The wolf who had been protecting her all this time. “Oh my God…It was you the whole time?” She didn’t hesitate, throwing her arms around him. She forgot about the leaves between them until he let out a little yelp and backed up with a grimace as he must have gotten poked in an uncomfortable spot.

“Oh shit. Sorry. Here, follow me into the pool house and we’ll get you some clothes.”

He looked up at the house and hesitated.

Hayley bit her lip. Oh. Right. He and his kind hated vampires. She doubted Klaus would welcome him with open arms either, regardless of the fact that Jackson had helped her numerous times. She quickly discarded the idea of telling the others in the house about him.

“Don’t worry. No one will know you’re here. Let’s just get you a robe cause I want us to talk and having one of us be naked will be kind of distracting.”

She flipped the light on in the pool house and went into the closet to look for the least flowery robe she could find. The idea of grabbing Klaus’s amused her. _Lock the door on me, will you, Dimples?_ She handed him Klaus’s black robe and bit the inside of her cheek until the evil giggle in her mind died down. “Okay. Sit.” She pointed to the couch. “So what’s your deal, hmm? With the exception of Mary, none of the wolves trust me as far as they can throw me, but you’ve been like a…um…guardian wolf, I guess, from the moment I saw you. Why?”

“It’s an alpha’s duty to protect their mate,” he stated, a gleam of amusement in his…quite pretty brown eyes.

“Eh?” Hayley asked, a nervous tightening in her belly.

“I’m your mate, Hayley…or…well…Andrea Labonair’s mate. I have been since before I was born.”

“Oh…” she said, too dumbstruck to do more than sit down…landing on the floor instead of the couch. “Um…” She looked out the glass door towards the house which housed her _actual_ bonded mate. Did he not know that part of the story? “Wait. No. The alpha family was wiped out a thousand years ago. There were no sons.”

“I guess it’s my turn to trust you now,” Jackson said, looking at her intently. “Mary’s ancestor was in charge of protecting the alpha’s wife when he and his daughters were killed. His pregnant wife.”

Hayley’s hand went immediately to her mouth in shock. “She survived? And she was pregnant? Jesus Christ.”

“Yes. They went into hiding and she gave birth to a son. My ancestor. For centuries they didn’t know what had happened to you and the story I’ve been told is just fuzzy bits and pieces like the ending of a weird ass game of telephone but the myth was that you had survived and that you would choose the next alpha by marrying him.”

“But…aren’t you the next alpha?” Hayley asked, a funny heavy dread in the pit of her stomach.

He cleared his throat. “According to the pack I’m just regular old Jackson Kenner. Mary’s ‘grandson’.” He informed her, using air quotes.

Hayley stared at him. He had an unmistakable air of command to him but it was tempered by an air of uncertainty and unease. “You don’t _want_ to be alpha.” It wasn’t a question.

He sighed. “I’m not…No. I don’t. Doesn’t really matter though. You’re here and I’m here and we all have our roles to play.”

Hayley pressed her lips together. She could tell him that he had nothing to worry about since she was actually bonded to Klaus, but while it would change her fate, she wasn’t sure it would change Jackson’s. He’d still be the real alpha whether he claimed the title or not.

She said nothing though. There was an uneasy knowledge that held her tongue. If the wolves knew she was bonded to Klaus, they would never help her. It was ‘bad’ enough in their eyes that she was having his child. She knew she would need them on her side someday, and they were her family.

At her silence he rushed ahead. “Oh I don’t mean that bonding to you would be a hardship. I’ve always thought you were the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

“Oh…thanks,” she said blushing. “How did you even know who I was though-” A noise from outside made her jump. Hayley leapt her feet and looked towards the door. “Shit!” Who had come outside? Klaus? Christ if it was Klaus…

Hayley pulled Jackson to his feet. “Quick. You have to go.”

“What?” he asked.

She stopped pushing him towards the door and instead began pulling him away. “No, no. He’ll see you. Here. Wait in the closet.”

“He who? Klaus Mikaelson? I’m not afraid of-”

“Shh!” Hayley insisted grabbing his face and pushing him into the closet before sliding the door closed.

A few seconds later, Rebekah appeared in the pool house doorway.

“Hmm. Can’t sleep?” Hayley asked, trying for lightness.

Rebekah looked at her skeptically. “Yes. I was hoping a night swim might help. Everything all right?”

“Oh yeah. Sure. Of course. You know. Maybe it would help if you and I went inside and talked a little, had some wine. That would help make us sleepy, right?” Hayley wrapped an arm around Rebekah and guided her out of the pool house, hoping Jackson would be able to leave on his own after the coast was clear.

After about half an hour Rebekah and Hayley parted ways to bed. Hayley was hopeful that Jackson had managed to sneak out. She made her way back to Klaus bedroom and picked the lock to get inside.

He was still awake and looked at her in surprise as she slipped into his bed.

“How did you get in?” Klaus asked though he didn’t protest too much as she tucked in next to him.

“I picked the lock,” Hayley explained simply.

Klaus lifted his head off the pillow and stared at her. “You picked the lock?”

“Mmhmm,” she confirmed, enjoying the stunned look on his face.

“Every time? When Rebekah was taking the blame for you, you picked the lock?”

“Uh huh,” Hayley said, trying not to laugh.

Klaus dropped his head back on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling. “She picked the lock.” He said nothing for a little while but then sighed. “If I tell you to go back to your room, you’re not going, are you?”

Hayley held her breath, hoping he really wouldn’t make her go back. “Nope,” she said with more bravado than she felt.

“If I hurt you-”

“Klaus you’ve never had a nightmare when I’ve fallen asleep with you, right?”

He was silent.

Right, like was going to admit that he needed her.

Hayley rolled her eyes but turned towards him and tucked her head against his shoulder.

“Hayley-”

“Klaus,” she interrupted.

“What?”

“Shut up and go to sleep.”


	33. Chapter Thirty-Three

**Chapter Thirty-Three**

**Goodbyes, They Often Come In Waves**

Hayley stared at the invitation as she slowly made her way down the hall. “I’ll be damned.”

“What is it?” Rebekah asked, rubbing a towel through her wet hair.

“It’s Lancel’s retirement party. I’ve been invited.”

“You?” Rebekah asked, cocking an eyebrow. “The vampire they kicked out of the department for no reason? Are you going?”

“No,” Klaus replied coming down the stairs.

Hayley narrowed her eyes at him. “And here I thought a better night’s sleep would put you in a better mood.”

“Oh this is me being Mary Sunshine, love. See? I’m smiling and everything.” He gave her a wide comical grin that was all teeth. “You’re still not going.”

“You have this funny idea that you can dictate where I can and cannot go. I don’t know where you get that idea. I really don’t.”

He crossed his arms and looked down at her with considerable menace. Hayley lifted her chin and looked right back. “Need I remind you of what happened Langon and Agnes?”

She sighed. “I didn’t even say I wanted to go, but you ordering me not to just gets my back up and makes me want to go out of damned spite. Do you not get that? How about, hey Hayley, I really don’t think you should go to this shindig because it might be dangerous and I worry about you and our baby.”

Klaus clenched his jaw. “I can’t say that.”

Hayley rolled her eyes. “Oh of course not. The bad ass Klaus Mikaelson expressing emotion…unless it’s rage of course, perish the thought.”

“No. I can’t say ‘shindig’. That’s a stupid word,” Klaus tossed back with a gleam in his eye.

Rebekah laughed behind her and Hayley pressed her lips together to stifle a smile.

“I have no desire to go and have no idea why they would even invite me…although the promise of musical entertainment does make me wonder if that jackass Lancel will be playing the banjo,” Hayley said with a giggle. “That might make it worth it. Will you be my plus one? Bringing my vampire hybrid baby daddy? Oh I’m liking the idea of going and sticking it to them more and more. Yes! Say you’ll come with me.” She linked her arm with his. “Come on. You can be all snarky and mocking like I know you love to be.”

He hesitated.

“I still need to turn in my badge and my gun anyway and this is at Marcel’s bar so as long as the two of you can play nice for one night, I’ll have both of you there to protect me. Not that I need it. Who’s gonna do anything in a room full of cops?”

“Cops who hate you,” Klaus reminded her.

“Just long enough to make an appearance. To stick it to them and remind them that I was one of them and was a damned good cop. Ten minutes? Twenty tops? This is important to me, Klaus. Please?”

Rebekah stepped in front of them. “Oh come on, Nik. You know you’re going to do it so just put the poor girl out of her misery and say yes.”

Klaus glared at his sister. “I haven’t agreed to anything.” His gaze lowered to Hayley. “And just in case I decided not to and you force me to lock you in your room, don’t think you can just pick the lock and sneak out. I’ll have Davina perform some kind of spell to make sure you can’t get out.”

“Oh, you heard about that did you?” Rebekah asked.

Klaus nodded, looking at his sister pointedly. “Indeed I did.”

“Davina? You do know she likes me better than you, right?” Hayley reminded him.

Klaus rolled his eyes and took her towards the stairs. “Go pick out something to bloody wear.”

She took the first step and then turned back to him with a sweet smile. “Thank you.”

His cheeks turned pink and Hayley continued on up the stairs amused that she was the only person in the world who could make big, bad Klaus Mikaelson blush.

He looked at her like no man ever had, Hayley thought as she rubbed some perfume on her wrists and caught his face in the mirror as she gave herself a last once over. Or any man she could remember. Hayley knew she was pretty but Klaus looked at her like she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

She turned and lifted her arms self-consciously. “Not bad, right?” Hayley slid her hands over her belly. “I debated whether I should get something to cover this up but then I thought fuck it. I’m not ashamed of my baby and I never will be.”

He smiled. “You look exquisite. Let’s go.”

Klaus squeezed her hand when she gave a little nervous shiver before they walked into the bar.

The room quieted as people noticed she had arrived. There were a few whispered and shocked gasps. Definitely dirty glares. Hayley took a deep breath to try and calm her nerves and lifted her chin. “Miss me?” she asked.

She heard a few giggles across the room and spotted Detectives Harlow and Patrice, two female cops who she remembered getting along with. They walked over to her and smiled at her.

“We had no idea what the hell happened to you!” Harlow said, brown eyes lit with relief at seeing her. She looked over at Klaus and then back to Hayley with a questioning eyebrow and a quirk of the lips.

Hayley’s cheeks flushed and she cleared her throat.

“We know that asshole Lancel forced McCready to fire you after he found out you were…um…well…” Patrice’s fair skin reddened. “We tried to go over to your apartment to tell you we didn’t give a fuck but you had done a disappearing act. Not that anyone could blame you, really.”

“Thanks, guys. It means a lot that not all of you think like Kevin and the others did.” Hayley reached over and hugged first one woman than the other. “Where is that jackass anyway?”

Klaus scanned the room.

“Or is it because he knew I was coming so he refused to show up?” Hayley remarked dryly. “Oh! This is Klaus. Klaus this is Detective Karen Harlow and Detective Sherri Patrice. They’re good people,” she introduced with a smile.

“A pleasure. It’s nice to know the New Orleans Police Department aren’t completely without hope.” He looked around the room again. “I see Marcel. If you ladies will excuse me. Hayley, don’t go wandering off, hmm?”

Hayley rolled her eyes at him. “It was my idea to come, remember? And so help me if you start anything with Marcel, I still have my gun.”

He flashed her a grin and she swore she heard Harlow give a little growl of appreciation next her.

“Oh hun, we totally get it now. Dayum!” Patrice said, watching Klaus walk away. She cocked her head as if checking out his ass…which Hayley had to admit was worthy of appreciation. “If I had _that_ at home I’d never wanna see daylight either.”

Hayley chuckled and shook her head. “So where’s McCready? Gotta get the official part of this over with and hand in my stuff.”

 “Wait, wait, wait!” Price urged reaching for her arm as Hayley turned to walk away. “You gotta spill, girl. We haven’t seen you in almost two months. We know Klaus is the father soooo…”

Hayley blinked and shook her head. “Soooo what?”

“Is it different?” Price asked.

“Is what different?”

Harlow looked meaningfully down at her belly. “The sex, girl! The sex!”

 “Oh!” she laughed at their audacity but decided to have a little fun with them. “Well…Did you ever see Twilight?”

McCready hugged her when he saw her. “Sometimes I hate this fucking job.”

She felt her eyes sting with how tightly he held on to her. It meant so much to know he didn’t want to do this. He pulled back and his soft brown eyes were red. “Listen to me. I’m just hanging on to these until we get a new mayor and then we’ll bring you back. Got it?”

Hayley gave him a watery smile. “What if the new guy’s worse than Lancel?”

They paused for a moment and then both shuddered dramatically, sharing a laugh afterwards. She touched his arm. “Really. Thank you so much for going to bat for me the way you did. I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”

He patted her hand on his arm and then squeezed it. “You listen to me, Marshall. You are a damn good cop and I don’t care how we have to do it but I will get you back on my team somehow.”

She looked down at her belly. “Yeah well, we’ll see what this little one has to say about that anyway. Who knows, maybe I’ll be flourishing in motherly bliss and won’t want to come back.”

He studied her and shook his head. “You’re gonna be an amazing mother and if I thought that’d be enough for you…but nah, you’ll want to come back. I know it. And your badge and gun will be waiting for you when you do.”

Hayley wasn’t sure even McCready could manage it in the face of so much opposition but she hugged him, fighting a groan when Lancel made his way over to them. “Incoming,” she whispered in McCready’s ear.

They pulled back and managed joint fake smiles.

Lancel rolled his eyes. “Don’t even bother. You two have been a pain in my ass for years. I’m glad to be rid of you. Have you turned in your badge?”

Hayley clenched her jaw. “Yes.”

“Don’t get so smug, you pompous, over stuffed, inept asshole,” McCready said. He exhaled dramatically. “Wow that feels good to finally say to your face!”

Hayley lowered her head and laughed.

“We’re just holding her spot for when you’re finally gone.”

Lancel snorted. “Yeah. Good luck with that. Any mayor who cares about this city won’t stop until you abominations are completely wiped out. You think my leaving changes anything? You’re both delusional.”

He turned to storm off and Hayley thought…. _Don’t do it. Do. Not._

“Hey Lancel…You do know the words to Oh Susannah, right? I hear that one’s a real crowd pleaser.”

His step faltered but he stiffened and continued to walk away while McCready burst out laughing beside her.

She caught up with Marcel and Klaus at the bar.

“Hayley, how you doing, huh? Stuck here in the lion’s den.” Marcel asked.

“Actually kind of nice to know there are a bunch of people on my side who don’t mind I’m a knocked up hybrid.”

“Except for your most vocal adversary. I don’t like that Kevin isn’t isn’t here,” Klaus said, concern evident on his face.

“Why is this such a big deal? The guy hated me.”

Marcel shook his head. “Naw, I’m with Klaus though it pains me to say it, believe me. Kevin was a big supporter of Mayor Lancel so even knowing you’d be here, something stinks about the fact that he wouldn’t show up to the guy’s retirement party.”

Klaus suddenly went still and looked over at the window and pressed a finger to his lips to hush them both as if he…and then Marcel got the same look on his face too…were listening for something.

Hayley saw…what his name again? Diego look over at them just as Josh came rushing over to them, his face pale.

“Hayley!” Josh shouted at her just before she heard two familiar popping sounds and felt a burning in her side.

Both of them fell backwards as Klaus reached out to grab her and then the crowd around them burst into screams of horror just as Hayley’s head hit the floor and everything went black.

_ 1692 Salem _

Hayley smelled smoke as Charles’s panicked voice pulled her from her sleep.

“Sweetheart, wake up! They’re here.”

Bleary eyed, Hayley blinked and blinked again as smoke clouded her vision. A child was crying. Lila?

“Bring out the witch!” An angry male voice shouted from outside.

“The what?” she asked, still not fully awake as Charles pulled her against him and off the bed.

“We have to get you out of here. Now. Quickly. You have to get to the river.”

Hayley scrambled out bed and pulled on her robe. “They can’t seriously believe-” She jumped as another torch was thrown through the window.

Charles pulled open the trap door beneath the house as Hayley ran to grab their bags and pull Lila out of her crib.

“Mama!” The baby reached her arms out to Hayley just as scooped her up. Though Hayley wasn’t actually the child’s mother, Charles’ first wife having died in childbirth the year before, the urge to protect her was strong and Hayley didn’t think she could love the little girl more…or her little brother, four year old Timothy who coughed and stumbled out of his small bed next to the crib.

Charles cupped her face, love shining in his brown eyes. “You first. We can’t take any chances. We knew it was only a matter of time.”

“But I’m not a witch. You and I both know-”

He gave her a soft smile. “Yes, but if they knew what you were it would be worse. You have to run, sweet heart.”

“ _We_ have to run.” She insisted, tears filling her eyes. She loved this man and the little family they had made together. He had accepted her when he’d found out about her vampire nature and allowed her to stay with them and help him raise his little ones.

“I’ll be right behind you,” he promised pushing her towards the ladder that led into the tunnel he had built years ago from his liquor smuggling days and kept. She turned but gave him a last kiss. She didn’t know what made her do it. Instinctively she must have known she’d never see him again. He handed her Timothy and then Lila.  

The door burst open. A last panicked look and then, “Look after them. I love you.”

Then the trap door slammed shut above her head. Hayley almost screamed in protest but only just managed to halt the sound.

“Where is she?” The crowd above her head demanded. They were loud enough now that the sound of Lila’s crying was drowned out but Hayley feared they would eventually hear them.

“I’ve sent her away,” Charles informed them. “She is no witch. She never was.”

“Liar! She has bewitched you and so you will lie for her. Repent now. Give her to us and we will leave you be.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Then you and your children shall suffer her fate for you have all been corrupted by her evil ways and only in death shall you be purified!” There was shuffling above her head and the sound of struggling. Hayley felt pulled in two directions. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She had to leave before they found her and the children.

She had to leave him. Like always. She had to leave. She would find a home, some small bit of happiness and then something would always happen.

“I will gladly go to the pyre with that woman and you’ll be putting two innocent people to death and the Almighty will strike you down for what you do.”

Hayley looked up at the door, her heart breaking even as it filled with love at his words. There had to be something she could do. She was a vampire now. She wouldn’t die…but she had learned there were worse things than death. If they got a hold of her, God knew what torments they would inflict upon her and she would be trapped for eternity. She had no doubt Charles would try and save her and then they would kill him and what would happen to his children, these little innocents that Hayley adored?

“Is papa coming?” Timothy asked.

“Shh,” Hayley urged. The noise was quieting down, there was a bigger chance they would be heard down here. “We have to run, okay, Timothy? Your papa will come meet us later but for now we have to run.”

The tunnel went as far as the river and when she got there a woman was waiting with a boat. Hayley struggled to remember her name but she’d seen her in the village a few times.

“I saw them on the way to your house. I promised Charles I would help if you ever needed it. Here. Get in. Quickly!”

“What about papa?” Timothy repeated. “I wanna wait for papa.”

“Your papa wants to make sure your safe, sweet boy. Can you be brave and get on the boat for me?” Hayley urged, fighting back tears.

“Freya! What have you done?” A woman came out of the darkness, fury on her face.

Hayley instantly stepped backwards in instinctive fear. This woman radiated evil from every pore. She pulled Timothy closer to her.

“I know what you did, Mother and I won’t let you give them an innocent woman to protect us,” Freya said, leaving Hayley dumbstruck.

“What? You turned them on us?” Hayley asked fury making her storm towards the woman.

“No, Hayley. I’ll handle my mother. You need to go now!” Freya insisted, her green eyes urgent. “There will be a carriage waiting for you. Get on it and do not look back. Mother stop!”

Freya extended her hand her mother flew backwards. Hayley stared at both women. Witches. True witches.

“You should come with me. When they find out-” Hayley urged though the idea of bringing Freya’s mother along didn’t appeal to her in the slightest.

“Don’t worry about me. Just go. Charles was kind to me. I owe him this. Now please, see yourself and the children safe.”

Hayley gave her a quick hug of gratitude. She felt guilty for leaving…God she felt guilty about so much but her focus had to be on getting herself and the children out of harm’s way and dear God, somehow be reunited with Charles...though a well of despair rose up in her because she knew she would never see him again.


	34. Chapter Thirty Four

**Chapter Thirty-Four**

**Love Doesn’t Divide, It Multiplies**

_ Four Hundred Years Later _

__

Hayley came to to feeling a heavy weight on her chest. When she slowly opened her eyes she saw blond hair.

“Klaus,” she murmured, her mouth dry.

He lifted his head and her heart skipped at the bleary, red eyed face that greeted her with a small smile of relief. “Hey. How do you feel, Little Wolf?”

“Mmm…Foggy but…baby?”

His hand went to her belly and as the haze cleared she was relieved to hear the soft reassuring beat again.

“She’s fine. You’re going to be fine.”

“Figured I was…but still…ow,” It hurt to take a deep breath.

“They used hollow point bullets. If Josh hadn’t knocked you down, and one caught you in the chest…If you were human you’d be dead right now. As it is, you suffered some internal injuries but you’re healing well thanks to our little girl.”

“Oh my God, that’s right. Josh! How is he?” She lifted her head and looked around in confusion when she noticed she was in her bedroom. “How come I’m not at the hospital?”

“A bit difficult to explain you at the hospital, even if Camille’s friend managed to keep your admittance a secret. Other doctors would still have to examine you. She came here, removed the bullets and assured us you and Josh would make full recoveries.” Klaus shook his head and smiled ruefully. “I continue to underestimate that boy. The way he tried to protect you…”

“Where is he? You said he’s okay too, right? I wanna see him and thank him.”

“Ah, you still need to rest. He’s resting in the guest room down the hall. I’ll let you visit him in the morning.”

“Speaking of rest. You look horrible. When was the last time you fed?” She touched his face, thick with stubble. “How long have I been out?”

“Two days.”

“It feels like a lifetime…” Hayley stopped then, remembering her dream…no, memory. She told him about Charles and the children, heavy sadness in heart as she recalled the story.

She couldn’t miss the flicker of jealousy when she told him about Charles though to his credit, she saw him make an effort to contain it. He stopped her when she got to the part about the witch that helped her. “Freya. Did you just say Freya?”

“Yeah. Why? What? Did you know her?” Now it was her turn to feel the burn of jealousy and he must have seen it on her face cause his mouth quirked in amusement.

“Not in the way you fear, love.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Hayley insisted, embarrassed he could read her so easily.

His face grew serious again and he leaned back and moved to sit on her bed. “Freya was my sister.”

Hayley’s jaw dropped open. “I’m sorry?”

He ran a hand through his hair, looking about as stunned as she was.

“I’ve never heard of a sister named Freya…I sure as hell don’t remember her when I was a child.”

“She was the first born. We were told that she died when Finn was a child, before Elijah was born. My mother always said it was the loss of her that broke my father. As if that monster was capable of such weakness as to love anything,” Klaus said coldly, his eyes burning with the memories of the horrors he’d suffered at the hands of Mikael.

Hayley reached over and took his hand. He looked down at their hands for a moment, but then pulled his away.

She tried not to take it personally. Klaus just wasn’t the touchy feely type. “Why would you think it was your sister if you thought she was dead?”

“There were rumours…whispers that Freya didn’t die as a child but was…taken.”

Hayley blinked. “Taken? You mean kidnapped?”

Klaus snorted. “Not quite. More like exchanged in payment.”

Hayley stared at him in confusion and then shook her head. “Your family gives me migraines.”

“Anyway, that’s all I know. So my instincts tell me that the Freya who helped you was my sister and the woman she called mother was probably our aunt Dahlia. Lovely woman,” Klaus said with definite sarcasm.

Hayley went on to explain how Freya caught up with them later before they made it onto a ship bound for New York. “It killed me but I knew because of what I was, Lila and Timothy would always be hunted because I would always be hunted. I had to let them go. I asked Freya to compel a family to take them in like you had done for me and to wipe Lila and Timothy of their memories. I almost asked her to do the same to me but…I didn’t want to forget them, even as painful as it was to remember.”

And Charles, Hayley thought to herself. She hadn’t wanted to forget that someone had loved her even knowing she was a vampire. “I don’t know how I ended up forgetting them later, but…for a little while, as hard as it was to bear the loss, it was comforting too. To have that memory of being loved, not being able to remember any of you, remembering them helped for a bit.”

“Well, I’m…That’s a good thing, I suppose,” he mumbled uncomfortably.

Hayley raised an eyebrow. “You mean that, huh?” She smiled, pleased that he was exhibiting the unselfish emotion though she could tell that he personally hated that he was.

He got up off the bed and leaned in and kissed her forehead. “You should get some sleep.”

“It was Kevin, wasn’t it?” Hayley asked. “The shooter.”

He hesitated. “Technically no. He had someone else do his dirty work, but don’t you worry. He is being suitably punished.”

“Don’t kill him though,” Hayley urged, hot rage simmering in her belly. She had to place her hand on her stomach to calm herself, afraid the rage would affect her baby.

Klaus’s face darkened. “Do you expect me to just let him go after he tried to kill you?”

“No. I want to do it.” She trembled a little saying the words, but knew she needed to be the one to kill Kevin. It was as if her baby were giving her strength, screaming for justice.

Klaus touched her hand and promised he would keep Kevin alive for her, that insisted she go back to sleep before he left.

She knew she should be a better person. Klaus was the violent, rage filled one. Kevin had threatened her life, her child’s life. She wanted her own justice and that meant she wanted to be the one to end his life herself. Did that make her a bad person? A bad mother? Hayley laid a hand on her belly. Mothers were supposed to be nurturing and caring…even if her own mother had been a horrible example. Did that mean Hayley was like her after all? Resolving things with violence, letting rage take over.

A noise outside her window made Hayley stiffen and then lift her head. Shadows moved behind the curtain and cautiously she made her way out of bed. She blinked and gave herself a moment for the light-headedness to clear. Her bedroom was not on the main floor. “Please don’t be some kind of giant bat,” she whispered, bracing herself to open the curtain.

Not a bat. A wolf. Or..well…a wolf in human form anyway.

“Jackson?” she whispered.

“Hi,” he said with a sweet grin.

Hayley looked past her to make sure her door was closed and then past Jackson to figure out how he had climbed onto the second floor. She spotted the ladder. “What are you doing? And don’t say just hanging out or I’ll push the ladder on principle.”

He chuckled. “I heard you were hurt. I wanted to make sure you were okay. Can I come in? I’m not really a Romeo and Juliet kind of guy.”

Hayley moved back and helped him into the room. “You know you’re taking a hell of a risk coming here.” Holding onto his arm, she helped steady him until both long limbs were over the window sill and he was fully inside the room.

“I don’t care about that. I needed to make sure you were okay.”

“Why?” Hayley asked, blushing. “I mean… We hardly know each other and we never actually bonded as alpha and mate.”

“Queen, Hayley. You were meant to be our pack’s queen,” Jackson clarified.

She felt a prick of unease and the smile wavered on his face.

“Yeah. I know. It freaks me the hell out too but, you can’t deny that there is a connection of sorts between us, right? I mean, from the moment I saw you I felt like you would have a profound effect on my life. I mean…and please don’t think I’m like…hitting on you or anything…” he said, his cheeks turning a bit pink. “It’s not just me, right? It’s not just in my head, right?”

Hayley studied him. It would be easier to lie, and probably healthier for him if she did, but Hayley found she did feel a connection to him of sorts though she didn’t altogether understand it. He was undeniably handsome, but so was Elijah and while she loved Elijah as a friend, there wasn’t this. Maybe it was because he had protected her so many times. Hayley knew instantly that he was a good person, but Marcel was a good person and a good friend. No, this was different. It was the closest thing she could describe without even coming close to what she had with Klaus. She took a step away from him as a beat of unease went through her. That’s what it was. Like some kind of, warped, instant knowing that had fate not intervened she would have been bonded to this man. Like a road that was full of twists and wrong turns that finally seemed to straighten out and go smooth. She was supposed to have loved him.

But she didn’t.

Maybe if he had existed when she was a child, that connection would have been forged then but she had only known Klaus and he had become her whole world.

She looked at Jackson and while there was the appreciation of female to male, he felt like a piece in her soul that didn’t quite fit, but was supposed to.

“No,” she admitted. “It’s not just in your head. I knew when I first saw you that you were someone special.”

He nodded. “Okay. Yeah. That’s it, right? And it’s kind of weird, but yet not weird, right?”

She laughed softly. “Yeah. That makes no sense, but that’s exactly right.”

“So friends?” He extended his hand to her and she took it, feeling a warmth spread through her at the touch.

“Friends.”

 “How are you doing? Are you in any pain?” Jackson asked, looking her over.

“Just really tired but no, there’s no pain anymore. Rebekah mentioned before that my baby can heal me quickly because of Klaus’s blood in my system.”

“Do you know who did it? Give me a name and I’ll track him and make him pay,” Jackson said, his warm, friendly demeanor changing and she could imagine the cold, deadly killer he could be when the wolf inside of him was unleashed.

There was something undeniably sexy about that.

“Thanks but no, Klaus is holding him until I’m strong enough to do it myself. I don’t know the details yet but it was Kevin, a cop I worked with who hated the fact that I’m a vampire..er..hybrid now. He always hated me so I’m not really surprised but…to do it in a room full of cops. That’s a special kind of crazy. Klaus wanted to kill him outright but I need to do it myself.”

She looked down at her hands. “Do you think that’s awful? I mean, mothers are supposed to be nurturing and loving. They’re not supposed to want to spill blood, no matter how justified they think it is.” Hayley felt a prominent gentle sweep go across her belly and for a moment she froze. That was definitely her baby moving! Not gas! No way this time! She placed a hand on her stomach and almost cried out in delight but just managed to hold it back. She didn’t want to share this with him, as much as she instantly liked Jackson, Klaus deserved to know about this first. He saw her touch her stomach.

“It’s not awful. You are a wolf at your core. Before you became a vampire. A mother wolf whose young has been threatened? What you’re feeling right now is completely natural,” he assured her.

“Is it?” Hayley asked. “Aren’t moms supposed to be nurturing and…like…always do the right thing…and bake cookies and all that? I’m practically shaking with the urge for this guy’s blood on my hands.”

“Well, can you bake?” Jackson asked her.

“No,” Hayley replied.

“There you are then,” he said with a grin, making her burst out laughing before she clamped a hand over her mouth and look quickly at the door. “You’re going to be an amazing mother, Hayley. I just know you are. Now Klaus…” He looked at her stomach and then back at her. “Is he good to you?”

Hayley hesitated. It was hard to describe her relationship with Klaus to anyone, let alone this man who was essentially a stranger even if he didn’t feel like one. Elijah, Cami and Rebekah all knew Klaus so no explanation was really needed there. “Klaus is…hard to explain. If you knew everything he had done, you’d call him evil and you wouldn’t be wrong, but…I knew him when he was good. An honourable man. I see him both fighting for and against being that man again because he thinks it is better to be feared. Like there is more power in being feared.”

“You love him regardless,” Jackson said.

“You’ll probably think I’m an idiot if I say yes,” Hayley said with a sad smile. “Klaus is overbearing, violent, moody, but he has fought for me and fought to be better for me. I think this baby can help him be a good man again. Yeah. I love him.”  

He nodded slowly. “Okay.”

She looked at him warily. “That’s it? Just…okay?”

“Sure. I mean you and I essentially just met so I’m not about to tell you that you shouldn’t feel what you feel and friends don’t do that to each other anyway. I think Klaus Mikaelson is dangerous to our pack and I honestly do not like the man, but you have a different experience of the guy. I can respect that even if I don’t share your opinion.”

“Wow. How enlightened of you,” Hayley said with an amused smile.

“Isn’t it?” He asked with a wide grin, making her giggle. “You’re going to be an amazing mother, Hayley. I know it.”

“Well, thank you for saying so,” she said then gave a sad sigh at the knowledge that he’d have to go soon before he was discovered. She found she liked his company. “You should go. You took a hell of a risk coming here, but thank you.”

He got to his feet and they moved together towards the window. “If you need anything, ever, just say the word, okay?”

“Yeah,” Hayley assured him, wrapping her arms around him.

He hugged her tightly and she felt a funny sort of flip in her chest as their bodies met. Arousal. Hayley told herself she’d have to be blind not to appreciate a good looking man holding her but she cut the thought off before she could examine it too closely. She watched him make his way back down the ladder. She wasn’t sure what the connection between them meant and maybe it would just fade away because she was bonded to Klaus and loved only him.

But her body didn’t seem to get the memo and she shivered, remembering Jackson’s touch.

Hmm. Interesting.


	35. Chapter Thirty-Five

**Chapter Thirty-Five**

**Strange Bedfellows**

Hayley knocked on the door gently and then with a little more strength when she got no answer. A second later, she peeked her head in and heard Josh singing. The lyrics made her laugh…

“…them other fuckers don’t know how to act…”

As she stepped closer she saw the earbuds in his ears as he continued to sing, oblivious to her presence. He bopped his head from side to side until he saw her and gave a started jump, pulling the ear buds out.

“Crap! You scared the shit out of me.”

“I see now that I’ve picked the wrong Justin,” Hayley teased.

He narrowed his eyes and pointed at her. “I saved your life. You owe me. You heard nothing,” Josh insisted.

Hayley lifted her hands in surrender. “I promise not to let a single soul know that you brought sexy back.”

He chuckled and turned the music off. “How are you doing?”

“I came by to ask you that. That was pretty bad ass how you saved me at Marcel’s club.”

“Yeah, I guess it was,” Josh said with a shrug though he straightened his t-shirt with a little show of pride.

She cupped his face and kissed his cheek. “My baby and I are okay because of you.”

His face flushed bright red. “Yeah well. Apart from your penchant for shitty nicknames, you’re kinda cool.”

“Penchant?” Hayley cocked an eyebrow.

“Elijah left me some stuff to read,” Josh explained lifting up a very old looking leather bound tome.

Hayley smiled. “Ah. I see. So how are you feeling?”

He lifted his bandaged arm. “It’s just a flesh wound.” He grinned and scrunched up his nose, looking so much younger than his twenty-one years. “I’ve always wanted to say that.”

“Well we all have goals,” Hayley remarked dryly. “Can I get you anything? I was about to go forage in the kitchen. How about I call Davina and ask if she wants to come over, hmm? I bet that will cheer you up.” Hayley nudged his side playfully.

Josh groaned and shook his head. “Oh geez. Okay, look, I need to clear something up before you start picking out china patterns.”

“Uh! I would never!” Hayley assured him. She did sometimes fantasize about that apple-pie kind of existence, especially for her baby’s sake, but she so did not imagine herself as any kind of happy Suzy Homemaker.

Josh looked at her seriously. “I like Davina. She’s cool. But I’m not into Davina. Know what I’m saying? Now Davina’s brother…” He let the statement hang unfinished.

Hayley looked at him blankly. “What do you mean? I don’t think Davina has any siblings.”

Josh sighed and met her gaze. “I’ll wait.”

Hayley shook her head and then gasped as she finally understand what he was telling her. “Oh!” Her face flushed in embarrassment. She smacked his chest. “Why did you let me go on and on like an idiot?”

“Well, cause it was funny as hell, to be honest. Balanced out you calling me Bieber all the time,” he smiled. “After, I just figured it wasn’t something I need to announce. Like, you don’t go around announcing that you’re straight.”

Hayley huffed and pointed to her swollen belly.

Josh blushed. “Yeah, okay, good point.” He burst out laughing then and Hayley joined him.

She leaned over and hugged him. “Thank you for what you did for me and my baby.”

“You’re welcome. I heard Klaus has got the guy who did it so that should quiet things down for you and the kid and hopefully now that the war between Klaus and Marcel is over that will put an end to-”

“Wait, what?” Hayley asked, wide-eyed. Surely she hadn’t heard him right. That would be too good to be true, too much to hope for.

Josh bit his lip guiltily. “Oh. I thought you heard. Klaus didn’t tell you? Well damn. Looks like I stepped in it again-”

“Just start from the beginning.”

“Well…um, when you were shot, Klaus went a little…well…Klaus, and went after Marcel. Guess cause he needed someone to blame and Marcel was handy cause it happened at his club-”

“But Marcel had nothing to do with what happened!” Hayley burst in frustration.

Josh gave her pointed look. “Logic? Really?”

Hayley groaned and nodded. “Go on.”

“I over-heard Rebekah and Elijah talking. Apparently it was pretty bad. Finally, to put an end to it, Marcel surrendered. The territory, his soldiers, money, property, everything all over to Klaus.”

Hayley sat there, dumbstruck. “I can’t believe it. I talked with Klaus just last night. He never said a word.”    

“Um, maybe he just figured you hadn’t fully recovered and didn’t want to worry you or something?” Josh offered.

Hayley looked at him and cocked her eyebrow.

“Yeah fine, he probably knew you’d be pissed at him.”

Hayley shook her head. “God damn it. I’m glad it’s over if Marcel doesn’t retaliate that is but…I’m gonna go find Klaus.”

  “Can you maybe not mention that I was the one who told you about the fight?” Josh asked.

“Oh I’m sure a bad ass like you can handle Klaus Mikaelson’s anger,” she teased moving towards the door and opening it to leave.

“Uh no, no I can’t. Hayley!” she heard Josh call out as she went out into the hall.

She met Klaus coming out of her room. “Oh there you are. I had wondered if perhaps I had missed you on the way to the kitchen. You should be back in bed. I’ll bring you any food or drink you may need.”

Hayley looked at him and felt swell of warmth grip her as how he wanted to take care of her. She stopped and noticed then that he still looked exhausted even though he had shaved this morning and it occurred to her instantly why. He had put her in her own bed, not his so he had slept alone.

Apparently he was used to having her with him. Oh.

She touched his face and he gave a little start of surprise, still not a man used to affection, even from her. “Can I go back to you room tonight?”

He slowly shook his head, though she didn’t miss the yearning in his eyes. “No. You still need to get your strength back.”

She bit the inside of her cheek to stifle a smile. “As good as you are I think I can restrain myself from jumping your bones every night. I’m just talking about sleep, Dimples.” The truth be told, damned if she didn’t miss the ‘bone-jumping’ part of their relationship.

The tip of his nose went pink and he cleared his throat. “Let’s get some breakfast. How are you feeling?”

“Better. Take me to Kevin. Today,” Hayley urged as they made their way to the stairs.

“I would really rather you’d let me take care of him.”

Hayley tugged on his arm. “No. You promised. He’s mine.”

“Hayley, its one thing to kill someone in the line of duty or who’s attacking you. I fear what will happen to you if you kill Kevin yourself. You’re good. You may not be able to handle it.”

She stopped mid step and glared at him. “Are you insinuating I’m too weak to handle-”

“Not weak,” Klaus insisted, cupping her face. “Good. It’s not the same. I don’t mean to imply weakness. I only mean…it takes a bit of your soul when you kill another. I don’t want you to be like me. Damaged.”

Hayley put her hand over his on her cheek. “I already am, Klaus. Remember? We both are. This baby is maybe gonna help us not be so broken anymore but this is about justice and that is something that I do want to teach her. Hopefully she will never have to deal with this but…I have to take out anything that is a threat to her. As her mother. My blood is screaming for it. Don’t take that away from me. You promised you wouldn’t.”

Klaus closed his eyes and swore.

Hayley smiled. “Thank you. Now, remember that time you ended your war with Marcel because you were gonna massacre all his men and so he surrendered? Those were good times, huh?”

Klaus looked at her, wide-eyed and then back up the stairs. “Joshua!” he yelled but Hayley jerked his arm and pulled him forward toward the kitchen.

“No you don’t. Leave him alone. He only told me what _you_ should have told me. He also saved mine and your baby’s life so you owe him.”

“I hate being indebted to anyone,” he growled.

“I know. It goes against your whole needing to be a jackass thing. Now, please, tell me what the hell happened between you and Marcel.”

He went on and told her how after her shooting, he was so filled with rage and had to get it out before he could be of any use to her to help her get better.

 “To anyone who didn’t know you, that would make no sense,” Hayley said, taking the glass of milk he poured her.

“Yes, your friend Camille says that me all the time. Oh she did say I was to call her the second you woke up. She has been here every day to see how you were.”

Hayley smiled. “I’ll call her. Where’s Elijah and Rebekah?”

Klaus scowled. “The last I saw my sister she was comforting my enemy.”

“Rebekah was with Marcel?” She felt guilty for the pleased twinge in her chest considering her best friend, but Hayley felt that Rebekah and Marcel truly belonged together. Maybe now that the war was over they could be. “And Elijah?”

“He spent the night guarding our trigger happy police man,” Klaus explained. “I would have done it myself but…” He shrugged and let his sentence trail off and Hayley almost asked him why he didn’t. It would definitely seem like something Klaus would enjoy, torturing the cop until Hayley got to kill him.

But maybe he wanted to stay with her? _Maybe?_ He could have wanted to stay with her and make sure she was okay and stay by her side as she healed. She didn’t ask because how stupid would she feel if that wasn’t the reason? It would be nicer to hold on to the delusion, Hayley decided.

He explained how while Kevin had ordered the hit on her, he had contracted someone to do it for him, a hit man from a powerful New Orleans crime family. The Guerreras.

Hayley leaned back in her seat. “How have I never head of them?  Robert Laphato runs the drugs and owns the waterfront.”

“Oh well, you’re so chummy with the wolves lately that I’m surprised you haven’t run into them seeing as The Guerreras are werewolves,” Klaus remarked disdainfully.

Hayley froze. Shit. Did he know about Jackson? A part of her told her it would be better to tell Klaus now because she had nothing to feel guilty about. She and Jackson weren’t doing anything and they were just friends. If Klaus found out on his own…Hayley knew he wouldn’t handle it well. She feared that if she told him about Jackson, Klaus would either kill Jackson or find some way to keep him away and Hayley liked Jackson. He helped her feel like she had found the other part of herself. He felt like family and she didn’t want to lose him. Well…maybe not _exactly_ like family, Hayley thought. Her cheeks growing hot.

Klaus looked at her curiously and Hayley tried to school her features into innocence. He continued. “It turns out our Kevin made a deal with The Guerrera wolves that he would arrange for them to have himself and certain other members of the New Orleans police department in their pockets, allowing them special privileges and looking the other way on various nefarious activities if they disposed of you.”

“Oh so vampires are a scourge upon the earth but werewolves are okay? Guess he didn’t get the memo that I’m half,” Hayley said, disgusted.

“Just typical that one would despise another until that other could be used to one’s advantage. So I decided to make a deal of my own with the Guerrera organization.”

Hayley stiffened. “What does that mean?”

Klaus smiled as a devious glint lit his eyes. “They give me Kevin and I wouldn’t kill them all.”

“Oh. Nice,” Hayley snorted. “I’m sure they had to think that one over.”

“I merely reminded them that I had something they wanted.”

Hayley stared at him. “Oh I already think this is a bad idea. By all means, don’t stop now.”

“The moonlight rings.”

Hayley dropped her head on the counter and groaned.

“Oh don’t be so dramatic,” Klaus insisted. “I made a deal with them that’s all. I give them the moonlight rings. They give me Kevin.”

“Except you don’t actually _have_ the moonlight rings!” Hayley pointed out, lifting her head, exasperated.

“A technicality,” Klaus said, waving his hand in dismissal.

Hayley dropped her head back on the counter.

“It’s simply a matter of time until I acquire them. There’s a rumour about a witch that might lead me to them. I simply need to locate her. You wanted Kevin. I gave you Kevin. Some gratitude would be nice,” Klaus scowled.

“Oh sure. I’ll be sure to thank your headless corpse when the Guerrera MOB kills you.”

He cocked his head. “Its cement shoes isn’t it?” He teased.

“Oh!” Hayley covered her face with her hands hopelessly.


	36. Chapter Thirty Six

**Chapter Thirty Six**

**She Was Fury. She Was Wrath. She Was Vengeance.**

Kevin was being held in an abandoned warehouse down by the docks. The dampness seeped into Hayley’s skin, mingling with the shivers and prickling going all up and down her limbs. She felt like a reigned in animal, waiting to strike, the need to kill so strong she was oddly fascinated even as she was horrified by it. He sat in a chair against the wall, head down, Elijah standing beside him.

Elijah walked over to her and kissed her cheek then hugged her. “If it wasn’t for my promise to Niklaus that I wouldn’t kill him, I would have presented his head to you on a platter once you awoke.”

Hayley’s cheeks warmed, moved by the intensity of his speech. She kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

“You bitch,” Kevin snapped, lifting his head.

His face was a mess of cuts and bruises. One eye was swollen shut and blood mingled with sweat, dampening his clothes. There was the unmistakable smell of urine as well. Hayley walked over to him and lifted his chin, enjoying watching him flinch. She turned with wry smile to Elijah.

“You had your fun with him though, huh?”

Elijah gave her a small nod. “I thought I showed remarkable restraint actually.”

Kevin’s clothes were shredded in several places where Elijah had cut into him. The smell of blood teased Hayley, tantalized and satisfied her. “You are only still alive because I wanted to kill you myself. You get that, right?”

“Yeah,” Kevin replied, glaring at her hatefully. “Your lap dog mentioned it a time or three hundred when he was working me over so I’ll tell you the same thing I told him.”

He spat at her. Thankfully because of their angles, he caught her in the neck and not the face but the intent was the same.

Before she even saw him move, Klaus grabbed him by the neck, chair and all and lifted him off the floor shoving his head against the window, cracking the glass.

Kevin let out a cry of pain amid his gasps for breath.

“Klaus! Stop!” Hayley shouted, fearing he would kill him before she did.

 He turned and glared at her eyes blazing, ready to kill, trembling with it.

“You promised,” she reminded him. She touched his back softly. It was like touching electricity, but didn’t hurt, just shimmered beneath her hand, up and down and pulsing with an almost erotic throb. The knowledge that he burned to kill for her…Hayley swallowed and pushed the sensual feelings that stirred up in her away for the moment.

Klaus lowered his head and his voice came out as an inhuman, menacing growl. “You will apologize to her. Now.”

“Fuck you,” Kevin said.

Klaus grabbed his hand, grabbed a piece of the broken glass that had fallen onto the window sill and sliced Kevin’s pinky straight off.

Kevin screamed in pain and Hayley stared at him, noting distantly that she didn’t wince or cringe, feeling no sympathy for him.

“Apologize,” Klaus repeated “before I go for your tongue next.”

Kevin could only scream.

“Never mind. He’s not sorry,” Hayley said. “But he will be.” She urged Klaus to let Kevin down.

Klaus stepped back and let the chair drop.

Kevin fell over onto his side and Hayley heard a sick crunch as his leg broke beneath the chair when he landed on it.

“You want an apology, you whore? How about this? If I had to do it again, I would have pulled the trigger myself. You’re everything I knew you were. Garbage. Nothing but trash in a hot body and a pretty face. From day one-”

“Oh the day you joked to your cop buddies that I was a stuck up bitch and that you’d get me on my back and put me in a good mood in no time? That first day?” Hayley said with a warning glance at Elijah when he looked like he wanted to have a turn at Kevin’s other fingers.

She extended her hand out to halt him as he made to move forward and she heard Klaus growl behind her. “That’s what started it, right? Because I wouldn’t give you the time of day? After that it was the fact that you’re _small, tiny, little…_ ” She paused to allow the innuendo to do its work and enrage him, smiling when she saw his face flush with a mix of rage embarrassment. “ego couldn’t handle the fact that I was simply a better cop than you ever were and everyone in the department knew it.”

“Yeah, only until they knew you for the blood sucking bitch you are. I hardly had to lift a finger and they were all too happy to throw you out,” Kevin tossed back.

“Right, that’s why you had to go to Lancel? Cause McCready sure as hell didn’t want to throw me out. Now Lancel is gone and McCready wants me back. You got scared. You got desperate. You let your little brain rule the big brain and got into bed with the Guererra’s. Werewolves, you hypocrite, who were only too happy to turn on you the minute the father of my baby waved something shiny in their faces. Had does it feel to be traded for a piece of jewellery? Beats being traded for cigarettes I guess.”

“You’d better kill me, bitch. Cause I fucking swear, if I get out of here I will gut you and take that thing you’re growing in your belly and drown it in the swamp,” Kevin vowed, sweat and blood streaming down his face.

The rage in her blood roared so loud she was sure they could all hear it. She wanted blood. Her baby demanded it. Now. Hayley willed herself to tamp it down though as an idea came to her, and she couldn’t help the smile that suddenly broke across her mouth. “Maybe I should just turn you. That would be some kind of revenge wouldn’t it? To turn you into the thing you so despise? Me?” Hayley whispered.

His eyes widened. “Don’t you fucking dare!” Kevin jerked in the chair, trying to scramble away from her. “I’d rather die than be a monster like you!”

 “What? Hayley, don’t you dare!” Klaus warned, glaring at her.

She went up to him and placed a hand on his chest, feeling deliciously wicked for her plan. “Trust me. I know what I’m doing.”

“I will not allow you to turn that scum into one of us-” Klaus insisted.

“Elijah, you can go back to the house and get some rest. Thank you for watching over this dirt bag for me.”

“Hayley-” Elijah protested but Hayley walked over to him and kissed his cheek then whispered her plan into his ear. He blinked and took a step back with a smile of pride.

“Klaus-”

“No! Do not even attempt to ask me to leave you alone with this cretin!” he snapped.

“Are you done?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

He pointed at her. “I will not allow you to-”

“Will you stay with me?” Hayley asked, cutting him off.

It was always funny as shit to knock Klaus off balance figuratively speaking and watch him try to understand her.

“What?” he asked.

She smiled and whispered the plan in his ear. He looked at her and his eyes twinkled with mischief and unmistakable pride. “So will you stay with me?”

“Oh with pleasure, Little Wolf,” Klaus said.

Elijah left and then it was just Hayley and Klaus alone with Kevin.

Hayley leaned over Kevin. “Before this day is over, you’re going to beg me to turn you.”

“Go to hell, you crazy bitch,” Kevin said.

Hayley punched him, then when his head moved back on the impact, she lowered her fangs and sunk them into his neck, getting a rush of pleasure not only from the blood but his screams. She forced herself to pull back and not kill him out right.

She went to Klaus who happily handed her his blade and then she turned back to Kevin who was staring at her with wide eyes as he covered his neck, afraid she would bite him again.

She jammed the blade into his chest and jerked it up into his heart. He stared up at her in shock and she watched the life dim from his eyes. It made her shiver as it always did but to see it so up close unsettled her and Hayley looked behind her to Klaus.

Sensing her unease, he stepped closer and took the knife from her, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear. The room was so still as Kevin’s head lowered. A part of her felt intense satisfaction, the other part was horrified at what she had done…and what she was still about to do.

“Do you think it’ll work? Did I do it right? I saw Langon do it but-”

“We’ll find out in a moment,” Klaus said. “You did it right, I assure you.”

Their whispered voices sounded so loud in the big, damp room. Hayley shivered in the cold even as sweat dampened her clothes.

Kevin lifted his head and his wide eyes looked at her before he screamed in agony and fell over in his chair again, hitting the floor.

“Now we get down to business,” Hayley said, crouching down in front of him. “You’re in transition right now. If you don’t drink blood you’ll die. If you drink blood, you’ll be a vampire, you know, an abomination, trash like me. I’m guessing you’ll last about fifteen minutes until you’re begging to drink my blood.”

“Fifteen? Oh my, that’s generous,” Klaus snorted. “I predict five.”

“Well, Kevin is such a bad ass cop, you know,” Hayley said with a mocking smile at Klaus.

Klaus was right. Five minutes into his writhing agony, Kevin begged Hayley to turn him.

Now, her baby demanded so loudly in her blood it was as if Hayley could actually hear her with her ears. Take your vengeance now.

“Please. Do it. I don’t want to die.”

“Beg me,” Hayley said, grabbing him by the collar.  

He sobbed and nodded. “I’m begging, okay? I beg you. Please. I can’t take it. Whatever you want, okay? Just make this stop. I’ll drink your blood. I’ll be whatever you are. I don’t want die, damn it! Help me!”

Hayley looked at him, this pathetic excuse for a man, never mind a human being. The world around her got very quiet and calm. She imagined one of his intended hollow point bullets hitting her baby, who despite any supernatural powers it may have, was surely too tiny to defend itself. She imagined not having this overwhelming love that gripped her whenever she heard her baby’s heartbeat, not having the promise of someone who would love her so completely, unconditionally. She felt no nervousness, no doubt. She felt right as she cupped his tear and sweat dampened face and whispered, “No.”

He stared at her. “What?”

“You tried to kill my baby. I’m going to watch you die now,” Hayley said stepping away from him.

It took him an hour in agony before his body finally stilled, his screaming voice, cursing her name quieted and his eyes lost their life once more and for the final time.

A rush of satisfaction and justice served swamped her and for the longest time Hayley couldn’t speak. She watched as Klaus dragged Kevin outside to the back of the warehouse and burned the body.

Once they were done, he drove her back home, looking over at her constantly as if waiting for something, as if he wanted to speak but didn’t know what to say.

The Klaus she knew before would know how to comfort her. He would know just how to wrap his arms around her and hold her as she cried and would know just the right things to say.

He had done so the day Rebekah had removed her compulsion so she knew he was still capable of being tender. It wasn’t easy for him though and she wasn’t sure that was what she wanted right now anyway. She didn’t regret what she had done, but she did feel unsettled, as if she was kind of out of her body, watching herself going through the motions of sitting in the car.

“I think I’m in shock,” Hayley murmured, her voice sounding far away. “This is what Cami says it feels like.” Her face felt damp and when she touched it she was confused to find tears spilling down her cheeks. “I don’t know why I’m crying.”

Once she acknowledged that it was actually happening, a sob tore from her and she bent double holding on to the dash with one hand and covering her mouth with the other as she cried and cried.

Klaus reached over and closed his hand over hers, keeping it there until they got home.

Cami was waiting for them on the porch and Hayley fell into her friend’s arms.

“I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me!” Hayley choked against Cami’s neck as they made their way into the house.

Cami hugged her tightly and over Hayley’s head she heard her friend say “Thanks for calling me, Klaus.”

Hayley looked up and behind her to Klaus who gave her a small smile and then left the two women alone.


	37. Chapter Thirty Seven

**Chapter Thirty Seven**

**One Loyal Friend Is Worth Ten Thousand Relatives**

“You’re not wired for cruelty, Hayley,” Cami said an arm wrapped around her as they sat on the couch in the living room.

“I don’t regret killing him though. I really don’t. I’m glad so why the hell am I sobbing my eyes out like an idiot?”

“Part of it is the after effects of the adrenaline rush. You were in this heightened state of very intense emotion, rage, fear, worry for your baby. Letting that rage take you over for what you felt you had to do…that takes its toll on anyone. Kind of like you were high and now you’re crashing.”

“That’s what it feels like exactly. I can’t stop shaking and I feel like I’m going to crawl out of my skin and I just feel so so sad.”

“That’s totally understandable, Hayley.”

“Not to me, it’s isn’t,” she insisted, blowing her nose. “You know what it is? It’s these fucking pregnancy hormones. I’m either a raging bitch or sobbing my eyes out. Christ!”

“You had to put on this…armour, I guess is the word to do what you needed to do and now it’s off and you’re raw. Just cut yourself some slack and give yourself some time.”

“I’m also kind of…” Hayley shivered.

Cami rubbed her arm and drew her closer. Hayley closed her eyes for a moment and let herself draw comfort from her best friend. “Go on.”

“It was one thing when I couldn’t remember Andrea Labonair. I could say life made me this way and fuck it. But I do remember being her now. I remember being good and sweet and kind hearted. Life has been pretty shitty to me, but remembering her I thought…I know it’s stupid but I thought maybe I could find my way back to being her. Now…after what I did…”

Cami cupped her face. “Hayley, look at me, okay? You’re still her. She’s still a part of you. All the horrible things that have happened to you and you’re sitting here weeping because you killed a man. You haven’t and you’ll never lose who you are.”

“God I hope so. I need her cause I can’t even imagine being any good to my baby if that part of me was lost.”

“No. The little bit I understand of what you told me about the wolves, you guys are pretty fierce when it comes to protecting your young. So it wasn’t your vampire self that gave into some sort of dark impulse, it was your mama bear…er…wolf…instincts coming out. This was Andrea Labonair protecting her baby, Hayley. You will always have her inside of you and that will make you a wonderful mother.”

Hayley lay her head on Cami’s shoulder and gave a little shudder as the intensity of her emotions began to ebb. “Jackson says the same thing.”

“Who’s Jackson?” Cami asked.

Hayley froze. _Oh shit._ “He’s…Shit, hang on.” She looked back at the living room door and got up to check the other side for an eavesdropping babydaddy or any of his relatives. Biting her lip she came back to the couch. “Okay, listen. You cannot tell anyone what I am about to tell you, Cami. Seriously.”

“Oh that’s never a good way to begin a sentence, but you know the BFF confidentiality agreement prevents me from divulging any secrets you tell me. Go ahead.”

Hayley smiled briefly. “Jackson’s a wolf. The wolf that saved me when I was attacked in the bayou and who’s been kind of…looking after me, I guess.”

“So, I’m guessing he’s a wolf like you’re a wolf…not like…something out of The Littlest Hobo?”

Hayley snorted and shook her head, remembering the cheesy tv show about a crime fighting dog.

“Right. Well he showed up the other day here in his human form and…well…” Hayley cursed her cheeks knowing they were turning red if the heat was any indication.

Cami cocked an eyebrow. “Nice?”

Hayley huffed. “Anyway, he’s a descendant of the alpha family only no one knows it.”

“The alpha family you were supposed to be married into?”

Hayley nodded slowly.

“So…what are you going to do about it?”

“Well, nothing. I mean, any boding ritual with Jackson wouldn’t work because I’m already bonded to Klaus.”

“And you don’t want to…or is there even like a…ritual wolf divorce thing?” Cami asked.

Hayley jerked back as her whole body recoiled against the very idea. “NO!” she cried, then jumped, shocked at herself. Her face turned bright red. “I mean…”

Cami blinked and cocked an eyebrow. “Okay then. That answers that question.”

Hayley groaned. “Look, I know that makes me insane considering what Klaus is like but…I love him, against every common sense argument.”

Cami lifted her hands. “Klaus will never be the kind of guy you bring home to meet mom. There’s waaaay to much crazy there, but…I do know he cares about you and that baby. Loves you even though he’s too terrified to ever admit it. For your sake I hope he can get past all his crap. You’re the one I care about.”

Hayley squeezed her hand. “You’ve always had my back, Cam. If I’m not a big a mess as Klaus it’s because of that.”

“Oh girl, I wouldn’t go that far,” Cami snorted.

“It’s true. And that’s why I’m hoping you’ll help me out with something,” Hayley began, biting her lip.

“Always. What is it?”

“I want to go back to the bayou. I want to see Mary and…” Hayley cursed the heat in her cheeks that she couldn’t help whenever she thought of Jackson. It was like some bizarre chemical reaction to him. “…and Jackson again and I want to learn more about my wolf side.”

“Why don’t you just…oh. Got it. Klaus doesn’t want you to.”

“Exactly. He says it’s because it’s too dangerous-”

“Uh I can’t believe I’m going to say this but Klaus is right. Bad things tend to happen to you in the bayou-”

“That’s all done now since the whole mess with the witches is over. There’s a truce. The war with Marcel is done. Klaus will just use it as an excuse because he hates the wolf part of himself so he thinks I should too or I’m not being loyal or whatever.”

“So what do you need me to do?”

“Just go along with my story that you want to take me out for a girl’s day. You know, get out of the house, hang out together in town. That it’ll be good for me and help me get over what happened.”

“I’ll give it a shot but I’m not sure what good I’ll be to you if crap goes sideways in the bayou.”

“Nothing will happen. I told you, Mary is on my side, so is Jackson so they can help turn the other wolves around. Just in case though I’ll bring Josh with us.”

Cami pointed to the ceiling. “That child upstairs?”

Hayley smiled. “He’s a badass wrapped up in a dorky package. Don’t underestimate him.”

“Don’t they hate vampires though? I mean, considering, I can’t say I blame them but you get a pass cause you’re a hybrid, right? Josh though?”

“If I vouch for him I’m sure it will be fine.”

“And convince him to go behind Klaus’s back.”

“That might be harder. I’ll take care of it though. So, do we have a plan?”

Cami sighed. “Yeah, sure. Just promise me you’ll say something nice at my funeral when Klaus finds out I helped you do this.”

Hayley stood in the doorway watching him paint for a while. The house was quiet for the night and he was freshly showered, blond locks a little brown at the ends with dampness. He stopped and turned briefly to look at her, his eyes soft with maybe pleasure at seeing her, before he turned back to his painting. He was shirtless in black pajama bottoms, ready for bed. “You know. You’re the nicest man who no one would ever describe as nice.”

He turned back to her, the corner of his mouth quirked briefly before he went back to painting. “Am I supposed to assume there’s a compliment in there somewhere?”

She smiled and stepped forward. She studied the painting. It was an abstract mix of black and red with glimmers of what looked like gold weaved through it.

“Is that like…a Megadeth album cover?” Hayley asked with a teasing grin, moving closer until she was standing next to him.

Klaus pursed his lips and she could see him fighting a smile.

She touched his arm, stopping him in mid brush stroke. “Thank you for what you did today.”

“I wasn’t going to let that man get away with what he did to you,” he replied, his voice hard.

She stepped in front of him. “Yeah, but that’s not what I meant though. I meant calling Cami. That was a really nice thing to do and I’m glad you did it.”

“Mmm,” he said, pursing his lips though his face looked slightly pink. “Did it help?”

“Mmhmm.” She nodded. She touched his back and felt him stiffen beneath her fingers. “It’s pretty late.”

“If you like you can go ahead and sleep in my bed. I’m not tired.”

“Ah…um…well, neither am I.” She bit her lip and stepped closer to him, dropping a kiss on his shoulder, hoping he would get the message.

He looked over his shoulder, eyes hot with understanding. Klaus set the brush down and turned to face her. “You sure you’re all right?” His hand went to her side where she had been wounded. It had healed completely without so much as a scar.

She nodded, her hands going to his chest.

Klaus cupped her chin and kissed her, sending her senses spinning instantly, a little whimper breaking in the back of her throat.

She caught his groan in her mouth and her hunger grew, pressing herself closer. His own desire for her fueled her own, kindling the pleasure at knowing he wanted her just as much. Hayley moved her fingers up along the smooth skin of his chest, digging her nails in a little.

Klaus’s fingers dug into her hair tightening but then he shivered and loosened his grip. “Sorry. I don’t want to hurt you.”

She nipped at his lower lip. “You won’t. I’m all better. Promise.”

He gripped her by the waist and lifted her off her feet. She mentally noted that the span of her waist was noticeably wider now and had a moment of self-consciousness that he would be turned off by her changing body.

He didn’t seem to mind in the least. Picking her up, he set her down on the table and lifted her dress to the waist. “Are you uncomfortable?” She looked behind her, thinking it might very well be uncomfortable if he planned to fuck her on the table now.

He smiled a little when she turned back to him. “Just sit there, love.” Klaus got down on his knees in front of her and Hayley sucked in her breath when she realized his intent. He reached up her thighs to hook his fingers around her panties and she shifted a bit to help him pull them off.

Then she was throbbing and ready for him and his mouth closed over her core with searing intent.

“Oh God!” She cried, her head falling back.

His tongue slid along her folds in sweet, slow motions, lazy in direct contrasts to the intensity he was causing. Hayley gripped his hair and rocked her hips eagerly, her body tightening with tension.

His hands were warm on her thighs, spreading them wider as his tongue thrust into her again and again before occasionally pausing to either stroke or suck her clitoris past his lips. Hovering just on the edge of her orgasm, Klaus suddenly stopped and got to his feet.

“What?” Hayley asked, ready to hit him for stopping, trembling with the need to come.

He pulled her off the table. “Come here, Little Wolf.” He guided her to the wall and urged her to turn around so her back was to him and she was trapped between him and the wall.

Understanding, Hayley braced herself and sucked in her breath when he lifted her dress again and got behind her.

Klaus nuzzled the side of her neck, moving her hair off her shoulder and dotting kisses along the side of her neck, biting her earlobe gently before thrusting so hard into her she went onto her toes.

“Oh fuck!” she cried ecstatically as her orgasm slammed into her and she clamped tight around his cock, holding still and deep inside of her.

She pushed back against him, trembling, wanting to feel him reach his release as well because it was so intoxicating feeling this hard, unyielding and closed off man lose control with no one but her. “Please,” she whispered. She reached for his hand on the wall and took it in hers, bringing it to her mouth and kissing it. She heard him suck in his breath and felt him grow thicker inside of her before he started to move.

His hips drove against hers faster and harder, driving himself into her again and again before she finally felt the beginning of a new orgasm begin to climb inside of her and felt the rush of his own release, feeling him come with a groan of her name into her hair. A thrill of satisfaction moved through her at bringing him over the edge even as her body still throbbed for more. She sighed against him as his warm breath filled her ear.

“Let’s take you to a proper bed this time, eh, Little Wolf?”


	38. Chapter Thirty Eight

**Chapter Thirty Eight**

**Betrayal Can Only Happen If You Love**

Hayley tried to rationalize that she had every right to get to know the other side of her family. Still, she didn’t like lying to Klaus and making Josh lie, knowing the kid was justifiably scared of him. She promised she wouldn’t let Klaus hurt him…assuming Klaus didn’t kill her first. No, he’d be angry and probably come up with some insane punishment but Hayley told herself that Klaus would never hurt her…if for no other reason than the fact that she was carrying his child.

Gus greeted her with the same surly manner, but with less hostility before he went to find Mary who’d been babysitting for a couple who’d gone to hunt for some food down the river.

“Oh he’s a treat,” Cami remarked dryly watching the long haired blond scruffy man walk away.

“Oh I think he’s actually starting to like me now,” Hayley assured her with a quirk of her lips at Cami’s disbelieving face.

“Hayley!”

She turned at Jackson’s voice and felt a funny flutter in her chest as he made his way towards her with a wheel barrow loaded with wood. “Hey.”

A sweet smile split his face and he nodded to Cami and then Josh. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to visit with Mary. This is Cami O’Connell.”

“A human,” Jackson remarked with no derision but with a cock of the eyebrow. “You’re a brave one.” His jaw clenched when he took another look at Josh but Hayley watched him try and control his irritation. “You might be an idiot. A vampire coming into wolf territory.”

“He’s a friend of mine,” Hayley warned.

“And that’s the only reason the pack is standing down when they all want to rip him to pieces,” Jackson pointed out and true enough, when Hayley looked around the animosity towards Josh was palpable.

“Oh nice. Looks like I won’t have to worry about Klaus killing me. The wolves will get me first. I’m missing my human club kid days like you have no idea right now,” Josh remarked to Hayley.

“Hey. How you doing? My name’s Aiden,” a young man said coming up to them and extending his hand to Josh.

Hayley opened her mouth to speak but noticed then how the blood seemed to rise in Josh’s face in an intense blush and she bit her cheek hard not to react. She looked briefly to Cami but then wished she hadn’t because her best friend’s raised eyebrow made a laugh threaten to burst from Hayley that she’d only just managed to keep back.

Eventually Aiden introduced himself to Hayley and Cami but it was clear his attention was focused on Josh and Hayley was grateful for it. The more people who seemed to accept her, the more the rest of the pack would follow.

Jackson invited them to wait for Mary inside the cabin he shared with his ‘grandmother’ and Aiden followed them in as well, hitting it off with Josh.

Jackson offered them some coffee while they waited for Mary who showed up a few minutes later.

“Hello, dear!” Mary said with a wide grin which wavered when she saw the small group Hayley brought with her and a flicker of unease moved across her face when she saw Josh.

“He’s all right. Really,” Hayley quickly assured her. “I had to bring him along so that Klaus would let me leave the house.”

“Oh that sounds healthy,” Jackson snorted.

“Thanks for that,” Josh said, giving her an embarrassed glare and she grimaced apologetically remembering Aiden was standing right there.

She cleared her throat, intentionally ignoring Jackson’s comment. “Josh actually saved me and my baby when I was shot. So he’s kinda handy to have around.”

Josh stuck his hands in his pockets and stood up a little straighter. All was forgiven as Aiden sent him a suitably impressed look.

“He’s not here to hurt anyone. I swear. And this is my friend Camille O’Connell.”  

“Not a vampire,” Mary remarked studying her.

“Not a vampire,” Cami confirmed. “Not a witch either, in case you were wondering. Just a plain old human.”

“Oh I doubt there’s anything plain about you, Camille, friend of Andrea Labonair also known as Hayley Marshall.”

“So how have you been, since the shooting, Hayley? I don’t think I had a moment’s peace since I got the news and I know Jackson hardly slept.”

The addition was deliberate, Hayley knew and it made her feel both uneasy and warm inside to know how much he cared about her.

She saw him go still for a moment by the fire place before tossing in another small log.

“I’m pretty good as new. The baby has Klaus’s blood along with mine so she healed me pretty quickly. Klaus’s blood did, I mean.”

“How’s that for ironic,” Jackson grumbled under her breath…forgetting that both she and Josh’s vampire nature left them with super sensitive hearing.

Hayley narrowed her eyes, an irrational burst of irritation making her want to punch Jackson Kenner in his handsome face in defense of Klaus. She recognized the ridiculous emotion for what it was. He certainly wasn’t wrong. Klaus was not a guy you would think of when you thought of a healing presence. He had done horrible things to the wolves, only the least of which was banishing them all into this god forsaken place.

And yet, like wolves did, they adapted and made this place a home. Hayley didn’t feel like she had that particular gene. She felt permanently displaced. The only time she even felt remotely settled was when she, Rebekah, Elijah and Klaus were all together, not particularly in the house they were in now, but just among the three of them. Her family, of the heart if not by blood. Cami and Marcel, even though they weren’t together anymore still felt like an extended part of that. She felt loved and she knew that was a part of it. That whole ‘home is where the heart is’ shmoop that people put on throw pillows…but there was still…she knew there was still more to it that eluded her. Then it dawned on her. She had come to ask about her as yet un-triggered self. She wondered if when she finally did trigger her wolf gene, she would finally have that sense of home, of being settled.

“Jack,” Mary scolded, bringing Hayley’s attention back.

“No. It’s okay,” Hayley assured her and nodding at Jackson when he gave her a quick look of apology. “Hey, all of you are fair in your anger towards Klaus considering what he did to all of you. I can promise you though, that Klaus will never hurt you again. Any of you.”

They all stared at her and she nodded confidently. She and their baby were the only things he would weigh in the balance of his anger against the wolves, the only thing that would stay his hand. She wasn’t certain of much, but she would stake her life on that. “I came here today cause I wanted to ask you about what triggers the werewolf gene. I heard it usually happens with your first kill. That’s how it happened to Klaus, but I’ve killed before, as a cop and then just a few days ago, I killed the man who shot me and still…nothing.”

“Maybe it’ll just happen one day. Like the girls in my class in junior high. They were always bitching about having no boobs. Then the next day. Bam!” Josh explained, holding his hands in front of his chest.

They all stared at him.

“What? It’s totally the-”

Aiden placed a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s go outside and I’ll show you around, huh?”

Josh’s smile was the sweetest thing and Hayley couldn’t help the small snort of amusement that escaped her.

“Sure thing,” He said, getting instantly to his feet. He hesitated only a moment, looking at Hayley.

“Oh don’t worry about it. I’ve got all these guys around. I’ll come find you when we’re ready to go.”

“Awesome,” he said and practically ran out of the cabin, following Aiden.

Hayley heard Cami giggle behind her.

“Aiden’s a good kid. He’ll look out for him,” Jackson assured Hayley.

“Now about triggering your wolf gene,” Mary said, pouring her some more tea. “It’s often different for women than for men. Often with men it happens with their first kill. For women, it sometimes happens when they’re girls, when-sorry, Jack-they get their first periods.” The old women gave Jackson an amused look. Jackson, to his credit, flushed a little, uncomfortable and cleared his throat but didn’t make any further show of squeamishness.

“For other women they don’t trigger their wolf gene until they’ve had a child. Often right after they’ve given birth.”

“Oh, on top of labour. Nice,” Cami said with a shudder.

Hayley swallowed uneasily and looked down at her stomach, placing a hand on it. Right. As if labour wasn’t freaking her out enough.

She wrapped her hands around her mug of tea to try and ease her shudder of unease, then brought the mug to her mouth.

“There’s a rumour though that those of us who have been triggered might have a way to control when we turn,” Jackson said.

Hayley choked on her tea, swearing as some of the liquid burned her lips and spilled onto her dress.

“Are you all right?” Mary asked, instantly handing her a towel hanging from the oven handle.

“Yeah. Um…” Hayley coughed. “Where did you hear this? What’s the rumour?”

“There’s a witch. Her name is Genevieve and I think I can make a deal with her, if you’ll help me,” Jackson asked.

Hayley felt her heart drop into her stomach. Jackson had what Klaus wanted. How could she keep this from Klaus because she couldn’t trust him not to use it against the wolves as opposed to helping them…to say nothing of how pissed he was going to be when he found out where she’d gotten the information. She groaned and lowered her head onto her fist.

“Klaus,” Mary said in understanding.

“You could just not tell him,” Jackson offered and Hayley shook her head when she looked at him.

“That is not going to work. He’ll find out then find out I kept it from him and it’ll be a shit show.”

Cami touched Hayley’s arm in support. “The important thing is getting the moonlight rings. One thing at a time. Klaus will just have to deal with the fact that you’re not going to turn your back on your family and that he needs to work together with you all and not against you.”

“Have you just _met_ Klaus?” Hayley asked pointedly.

Klaus was in the living room with Elijah and Rebekah when Hayley returned with Cami, Josh having left them to go hang out with Davin and probably tell her all about Aiden.

Rebekah was scolding them about the body currently dripping blood on the carpet. A gift from Klaus to Elijah, who still hadn’t completely forgiven his brother for daggering him…and biting him at the cabin after Langon had kidnapped Hayley.

Hayley shook her head. “God help this baby with this family,” she said with a groan as she stood in the doorway. “Okay, this is good cause there are witnesses at least.”

“Hayley,” Elijah greeted her with a smile, he and Klaus getting to his feet instantly, retaining their old world manners, to Hayley’s amusement. “How was your day?”

“Um…let’s say informative. You guys might want to sit down for this,” she suggested motioning with her hands.

“I know who has the stones for the moonlight rings.”

Both men were on their feet again instantly, making Hayley jump, startled. Rebekah rushed around the couch to her side. “Who?”

“There’s a witch. Her name is Genevieve.” She knew the question would come and she swallowed, bracing herself as she rushed ahead, speaking. “I’m sure Davina can help us track her-”

“Who told you this?” Klaus demanded immediately. “Elijah, get Davina here now to find this witch.”

Hayley swallowed. _Here we go._ She forced herself to lift her chin and not cower in the rage she knew would be directed at her in 3…2…1 “I found out from someone in the bayou. A man named Jackson Kenner.”

The room went still. Elijah stopped on his way to the phone and Rebekah dropped the arm of the lady she’d been about to lift off the coffee table.

Hayley stared at Klaus, forcing herself not to tremble at the hot rage that burned in his eyes before cold anger stole over his face.

“The bayou,” he said softly, eyes piercing hers. “The bayou you were forbidden from going to in order to keep you and my child safe.”

“ _Our_ child,” Hayley pressed and she saw Rebekah cringe.

Klaus’s eyes went wide and he grabbed her in a second, making her jump and her heart leap into her throat. “Yes! Our child. Our child you seem to have no regard for putting in harm’s way every chance you get.”

“How dare you!” Hayley shouted back at him.

“Niklaus!” Elijah protested.

“And this Jackson Kenner. Who the hell is he?”

Hayley hated the immediate hot flush that rose in her cheeks and by the look in Klaus’s eyes he saw it too because his eyes narrowed and a flash of pain and panic moved through them before coldness gripped them again. It was ridiculous! She had nothing to feel guilty about…and yet she did.

“Can we please focus on the moonlight rings?” Rebekah urged, trying to help and Hayley sent her a look of silent appreciation.

“Do tell,” Klaus said, his eyes not leaving Hayley.

Hayley took a deep breath and licked her lips. “There’s a witch named Genevieve. Jack says-”

Again, that flash of hot anger before the chill.

“He says she’s in possession of the rings and he thinks he can persuade her to make a deal for them and the stones to make more.”

“Ah. A persuasive sort, is he? And what? He offered to hand the moonlight rings over to you out of the goodness of his heart? Or did you have to do some _persuading_ yourself, Little Wolf?”

Hayley glared at him. “What exactly are you accusing me of, Klaus?”

“It seems to me that we know nothing of this Jackson Kenner and yet you seem instantly inclined to trust him. Forgive me if I’m inclined to question his motivations.”

“Yeah, well I knew nothing about you either when I didn’t remember you and yet I trusted you, right?”

“Oh dear,” Elijah groaned behind her.

Klaus’s eyes flashed and he gripped her arm painfully. “Are you comparing us?” He demanded and she guiltily lowered her eyes before clearing her throat and forcing herself to not cower.

“Jackson was the wolf who has been protecting me this whole time. The one that I first thought was you so yeah. I trust him and if you don’t like it that’s too damn bad.”

“Ah. I see,” Klaus said softly. “Come with me, Little Wolf.” He guided her towards the door that led to the basement and opened it.

“Niklaus-” Elijah warned.

“No” Hayley assured him. “It’s okay.”

She followed Klaus down the stairs, daring him silently to try and threaten her, not really feeling threatened in the least. “Are you serious right now?” Hayley said irritated. “You’re gonna, what? Lock me in the basement? You do remember I can just pick the lock anytime I want or Elijah or Rebekah will just let me out, right?”

Klaus said nothing for the longest time. His silence gradually unnerving her more than any ranting or raving would have and he knew it.

“You will stay away from Jackson Kenner from now on. Is that understood?” he asked slowly.

Hayley stiffened. “You don’t tell me who I can and can’t see. Ever. Is that understood? And you and I both know you’re not going to do anything to me while I’m carrying this baby so can you please just make some kind of peace with the fact that we both have another side to us? You’ve ended the war with Marcel. Can you not just embrace your wolf side too for all of our sakes, damn it!”

He clenched his jaw but then turned away from her and pulled one of the caskets away from the wall. “You’re right. While you are carrying my child, I cannot punish you from your betrayal-”

“Betrayal? I have never-”

Klaus lifted his hand. “You will be silent or so help me I will lose the tenuous grip I have on my control, Hayley.” 

Hayley glared at him but held her tongue.

“You will not see Jackson Kenner again. You will not go into the bayou again. You are correct in the assumption that I will not physically harm you while my child grows inside of you, but neither will you be allowed out of the house without me by your side. I have given you more than you have deserved and allowed my feelings to cloud my judgement in my quest to keep your affection as opposed to keeping you safe. No more. See the wolf again, or any of your wolves and as soon as our child is born I will dagger you, place you in this casket and you will never see your child again. Now. Is _that_ understood?” He concluded coldly.

   


	39. Chapter Thirty Nine

**Chapter Thirty Nine**

**You Have Never Experienced Real Crazy Until You Piss Off A Mother**

The fear she felt was an odd sort of mix of basic fear that he would lash out at her in that way, would make his threat real, rage that he would threaten her of all people after what they were to each other and fear he would be lost to the dark part of himself when she’d always been able to pull him back. Hayley stared at him and without thinking, slapped him hard across the face.

His eyes widened first with surprise, and then glittered with rage.

“You bastard,” Hayley hissed, trembling. “You fucking bastard. That you would say that, threaten me, of all people…that you would ruin what we have because of your paranoia-”

“After what you-”

“No! Shut up!” Hayley shouted, squeezing her fists at her sides to keep from punching him. “If you think I will allow you to keep me away from my daughter once it’s born than you don’t know me at all. Try and keep me from my child, ever, and as much as I love you, Klaus, I will kill you. Do you hear me, Klaus? Do you understand?” Her voice low now despite the rage boiling inside of her. “And another thing. The wolves are a part of me. You may hate them because you’re too stupid and paranoid to see how they can help us, but I don’t. I will not turn my back on that part of me because it bothers you. I have lived my entire life alone before I remembered you and Elijah and Rebekah and the life we had. All I ever wanted was a family, was to belong someone. The wolves are a part of who I am. I won’t deny that part of myself because you don’t like it. You don’t get a say, you got me? You don’t own me. I am Hayley Fucking Marshall. I am Andrea Fucking Labonair. I’m both and I’m claiming both and if you ever, ever trying to take that away from me, you are the one who will never see our daughter again. Now I’m going upstairs because I have literally never been so angry at you that I cannot stand to look at you right now.” She turned and on trembling legs made her way back up the stairs, her heart breaking with every step.

            Elijah was waiting in the hall when she slammed the door to the basement and Hayley burst into tears. He drew her instantly into his arms and Hayley clutched him tightly. “I can’t believe him. I can’t believe he would threaten me like that! Me!”

            He cupped the back of her head and pulled back to stroke her cheek. “I swear to you, Hayley. I will never allow Niklaus or anyone to hurt you. Not you, nor your child. Tell me you know this.”

            She shivered at the way he was looking at her so intensely. Oh she knew the feelings were still there but she’d hoped over time they would lessen. Apparently not. Damn it, why couldn’t she feel for Elijah what consumed her with Klaus? Elijah was kind. Elijah was sweet and good-natured. Elijah would never threaten to take her child away and then stick her in a fucking casket for eternity! When she explained to him that that was the nature of Klaus’s threat he didn’t seem surprised in the least. “My brother is nothing if not consistent,” Elijah sighed.

            A slam of the door made them both jump and Hayley turned to see Klaus had come up out of the basement and was now glaring at them both. It occurred to Hayley that she and Elijah were still holding onto each other and she almost darted away guiltily but forced herself not to just out of spite.

            Elijah slowly stepped away first and Klaus stormed towards them.

“Start packing,” Klaus snapped.

            Hayley stared at him as he walked past them towards the stairs. “I’m sorry, what?”

            He stopped halfway up and turned to her, narrowing his eyes as he toward over her, hands on the railing. “Marcel has surrendered to me. New Orleans and everything in it is back where it belongs, under Mikaelson rule and that includes our old home. We’ll be returning to it by the end of the week. So if you and Elijah can tear yourselves away from each other long enough, do start packing.”

             She was too furious to feel embarrassed about his insinuation. Hayley rolled her eyes at Elijah and followed shortly after Klaus to start packing. She passed Rebekah’s open bedroom door and paused, watching her pack. “Do you need any help?” Hayley asked.

            Rebekah looked up from the bottom drawer she was emptying. “Nik looked like more like a bomb about to go off than usual when he stormed past my door a second ago. Dare I hope you told him where to shove his intimidation tactics?”

            Hayley smiled weakly at her. “I did. I’m kind of torn between tracking him down and ripping his head off or curling into a ball and sobbing my eyes out. Let me help you pack so I can distract myself?”

            Rebekah nodded and motioned her into the room. “Then I’ll help you with your room.”

            Hayley was grateful for the assurance that she wouldn’t have to spend any time alone with her thoughts for at least the next few hours. She made her way into the room and then paused as she noticed the way she was walking in a way she hadn’t noticed before. “Oh my…” She lifted her hand and pointed at her belly. “Rebekah, look at me. Am I...” She took a few more steps into the room and gasped in horror. “I totally am, aren’t I? I’m _waddling_!”

            Rebekah grinned at her. “For about a week now. I’m surprised you hadn’t noticed.”

            Hayley narrowed her eyes at her friend. “As if I needed another reason to hate him.” She turned and gave Rebekah’s door the finger, knowing Klaus couldn’t see it, but not caring. It made her feel better.

            A beat of sadness moved through Rebekah’s eyes and she quickly squashed it but Hayley saw it, and her heart squeezed in both sympathy and shame. She knew full well Rebekah would have loved to become a mother and never would. “Sorry. Hormonal bitch-girl rears her ugly head again.” She turned to one of the boxes and began filling it with a few of the items laid out on the stripped bed.

            “Nik is being a psychotic bastard. You’re allowed,” Rebekah said.

            “Yeah, but I could be a little more sensitive about this whole pregnancy thing, knowing how you feel. You know…considering,” she shrugged. “You’d definitely be a better mom than I will.”

            Rebekah snorted at that. “Oh I don’t know about that. My decisions as of late have hardly shown the wisdom necessary of a good mum.”

            “Care to elaborate?” Hayley asked, curious.

            “No, I do not,” Rebekah insisted, shaking her head.

            Hayley nodded in understanding, but curiosity made her speak up a second later. “Marcel?”

            Rebekah looked at her pointedly. “Do. Not,” she repeated.

            “Got it,” she said. Hayley picked up a bracelet. It was a beautiful gold band studded with large rubies. “I’ve seen this one before, I think.”

            Rebekah looked up at her from her seat on the carpet. A soft grin lit her face. “You liked playing with it as a child. I planned to give it to you as…mmm,” the smile faded and she cleared her throat uncomfortably.

            A fist of pain squeezed around Hayley’s heart. “A wedding gift?”

            “Yes. Well…” Rebekah tucked a lock of her blonde hair behind her ear and focused back on folding her clothes.

            “What happened to the ring?” Hayley asked, though she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.  

            Rebekah looked at her blankly for a moment and then understanding dawned. “Ah. I think he still has it. He never got a chance to give it to you so he would give it to no other.”

            Hayley felt her heart break a little more even as she wanted to scream her frustration. She never got the chance to wear the ring wedding ring that had been meant for her, had never even got to see it. Yet knowing that in all his life, with all the other women he had known, there had been no one else he had wanted to give the ring to… How could he be capable of such cruelty towards her and such devotion at the same time? She told herself she knew Klaus better than anyone and yet there were times she thought she didn’t know him at all.

            They stayed out of each other’s way for the rest of the day and only spoke to each other the next day when the process of moving to the new house required it.

            She’d been here many times before when it had belonged to Marcel, but somehow walking into the giant mansion now felt different. It felt like home. It was an odd sort of feeling considering how frayed her relationship with Klaus was, but she could imagine their little girl growing up here with the little family they would all make together.  

            How they would get there with the state of her relationship with Klaus being as it was, Hayley had no idea, but she could still sense that they would. Wishful thinking probably, but she’d hold on to it.

            Klaus informed them that the next day they were going to have Marcel and the vampires loyal to him over for a dinner to announce that New Orleans was now once again under Mikaelson rule and to cement their truce. He gave Hayley a pointed look from below in the courtyard. “It seems as if I’m the only willing to fight for our family.”

            Hayley glared at him from the balcony. “I don’t recall Mike Brady ever threatening to dagger any of the Brady Bunch and sticking them in coffins.”

            “I believe that was most likely in the DVD extras,” Elijah remarked dryly, coming out of his room, making Hayley smile.

            She was glad to see Marcel and Josh and a few of the other major players from Marcel’s army later that day sitting at their table. She could see Josh’s obvious relief at not having to hide his friendship with Marcel anymore. For his sake Hayley hoped the guy would never have to play both sides again. The boy was not made to be deceitful and underhanded.

            She sat at one end of the table while Klaus stood at the other, glass raised in a toast as he welcomed them all and assured them that he wasn’t looking to conquer them but to bring them all together as a family.

            One of Marcel’s men…the one with the wild mass of hair. What was his name again, Hayley wondered. Diego. Right. He pointed at her in derision.

            “Ah yes,” Klaus said, his eyes meeting hers, unsettling her with the mix of heat and rage in them. He walked around the table towards her to stop behind her chair. “As you know, Hayley is carrying my child. I expect you to show her the appropriate respect.” He placed a hand on her shoulder and Hayley resisted the urge to shrug him off and elbow him hard in the stomach. “I know there has been a vicious rumour going around that I intend to use the blood of my unborn child to create more hybrids. Let me assure you that is not the case.”

            _No,_ Hayley thought. _You’ll just take my baby away and stick me in a coffin_. She looked back at him in disgust. “Father of the year,” she sneered.

            His hand on her shoulder tightened and then he came back around to the head of the table, blue eyes cold, locking on hers. “Of course, there is but one way to allay your fears, and that would be to eliminate the root of your anxiety isn’t it? How can I create any hybrids if there are no wolves left in the bayou to turn?”

            Hayley stiffened in her chair, her blood running cold. He couldn’t possibly mean… “Klaus…no…”

            He clenched his jaw, his eyes never leaving hers as he decreed to the others that they had his permission to go into the bayou for a ‘little wolf hunt’. “Kill them all.”

            She stared at him, struck silent in terror. This was payback for her insisting that she would not give up the wolves no matter what he did to her. The fucking idiot thought she was putting the wolves before him. She knew he wouldn’t be moved so as soon as she managed it, she went to Josh and pulled him aside after dinner. “I need your help.”

            Josh cringed and then cocked his head. “Oh, so that’s what it feels like when your balls crawl back up inside your body.”

            “Oh come on. You know I can’t let Klaus go after the wolves. They’re my family.”

            “And what exactly am I supposed to do about this? Marcel and Klaus have _just_ made peace. My days on the brink of getting my insides turned into my outsides were supposed to be at an end here. I was looking forward to the rest of my life spent in mind numbing boredom. It was going to be awesome.”

            “And what about Aiden, hmm?” Hayley countered. “I know you like him. Klaus means to wipe out all the wolves and that means Aiden, Josh. That means him and those innocent children you were playing with.”

            “That’s a low blow,” the young man insisted, pointing at her.

            “Yes. It is. Look, I’m not asking you to do anything dangerous. I just need you to keep Klaus here in the house while I go out and warn the wolves.”

            “Me? How the hell am I supposed to do that?” He hissed with a panicked look as the last of the other vampires left.

         “That’s where Davina comes in,” Hayley explained, praying to whatever was up there that what she had in mind would work.


End file.
